BENGALURU: With the new Central government formed on Thursday, the Bengaluru division of South Western Railway (SWR) is expecting the Railway Board to approve their proposal for automatic signalling from Whitefield to Bangarpet, soon. The proposal was sent from SWR to the Railway Board before the elections but owing to the election code of conduct, the project was kept on hold. Earlier this year, in February, the first section to have automatic signalling commissioned in SWR zone was from Cantonment to Whitefield station.
“We are expecting the approval for the Whitefield to Bangarpet section to come in a week or two, after which we can call for tenders. The project is proposed at a cost of Rs 95 crore for a stretch of 49 km. It will take three months after approval, for the tender process and nine months for the project to be implemented,” said an official source.
“Automatic signalling works are already ongoing from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (Majestic) to Cantonment station and will be completed in two months. Once the entire stretch from KSR, going via Cantonment, Baiyappanhalli, Whitefield till Bangarpet has automatic signalling commissioned, it would benefit movement of trains,” the official explained. At present, with use of manual signalling, the second train can depart from a station only after the first train reaches the next stop. With automatic signalling, trains need not wait for manual clearance.