BENGALURU: Come June, both the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna and the Yeshwantpur railway stations can experience some relief from the massive congestion encountered here on a daily basis, as an average of 220 trains start and terminate from them. The timely completion of the Baiyappanahalli terminal, which will make it the third train terminal in the city, will make that a possibility.
The Rs 152-crore project, fully funded by the Indian Railways, will have three platforms, three stabling lines (parking spaces for trains), three pit lines (for train repairs and maintenance work), Signal and Telecommunications systems, a building for route relay interlocking systems that control operations of trains, a station office and reservation counters.
Phase-I of this project, which commenced by the end of 2016, is racing towards June 30, an internal deadline set by top railway officials. TNIE visited the upcoming terminal, located nearly 3 km from the Baiyappanahalli railway station, to take stock of the progress being made. The rail lines had been laid and rail sleepers were stocked in rows around. The searing heat nothwithstanding, work was non-stop.
A senior railway official said, “Up to 60% of the project has been completed. Work is on 24x7 and nearly 400 people are working in shifts to ensure the terminal gets ready at the earliest.” Trains that start at the new terminal will continue to stop at the existing Baiyappanahalli station to facilitate passengers who want to board from there, he added.
Asked about the trains that would be shifted from KSR and Yeshwantpur stations when the third terminal is ready, General Manager, South Western Railway, Ajay Kumar Singh said, “That has not been finalised yet. We will try to shift trains going in all directions. The Yeshwantpur-Kannur Express, whose terminal was shifted to Banaswadi recently from Yeshwantpur, a move that received much opposition from passengers, could start from this point.” Railways could also start new trains, both Express and Passenger ones. Another railway official said trains bound towards eastern states are likely to be shifted initially. Phase-II of the project is set to be ready by 2020 and that would ensure full-fledged operations from here.
