BENGALURU: The aesthetically pleasing Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal at Baiyappanahalli, touted as a model railway station with air-conditioned interiors, appears to be dogged by recurring problems, both before and after construction.
The latest incident involves the unprecedented triple train accident in Indian Railways history on June 2 in Odisha, involving nearly 1,300 passengers who departed to Howrah on the Sir M Visvesvaraya Howrah Superfast Express, from this terminal.
Modelled on the lines of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), the station even has a structure similar to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) room. The Rs 314-crore station was opened for commercial operations on June 6, 2022 -- three years after the final deadline was given, and earlier deadlines were missed. However, no other station in South Western Railway Zone seems to be saddled with so many issues, forcing the thought whether the station is jinxed.
Three days before the horrendous accident, heavy wind and rain blew away chunks of the station’s beams and ceilings, forcing passengers to run for their lives. They were also heading for Howrah and were squatting on the ground due to the delay. Massive repair works are to be undertaken immediately. Seven months ago, the same ceiling gave way, but on a minor scale.
On March 18 this year, the highly decomposed body of a woman was found strangled and dumped at the entrance of the terminal. On December 8, 2022, a sack with a woman’s body reached the station by the Bangarpet-SMVT Memu Special.
Though the station was completed over a year ago (in June 2021), South Western Railway Zone was forced to keep it unused since PM Narendra Modi was keen to inaugurate it. Bowing to huge public demand, it finally started a few trains in June last year, while the inauguration happened later. Massive publicity was generated during the construction stage itself, as it was to be a model station.
A month after the June 2019 deadline expired, fundamental flaws were detected in the design, with the platform falling short of the length of the train by 70 metres. This would force passengers to disembark on the tracks. The plan had to be taken back to the drawing board. The move to open the station in two phases was shelved. Top officials responsible for the goof-up were transferred.
Even as the station lay idle, heavy rain resulted in water seeping into the control room for station masters, raising fear of the damage caused to the costly and crucial equipment. SWR initially tried to downplay it and claimed the leaks never happened, but videos showed otherwise. It later ended up rectifying the glass doors through which water came in.