'Land Swap to Help Boost Capacity of City Railway Station'
The Bangalore City Railway Station will be able to house more trains and platforms as expansion work will begin on about 3.3 acres of land given to South Western Railway by the BBMP as part of a land swap. The land is part of 16 acres on which the Binny Mills once stood.
Information about the expansion work was provided by Union Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge while he was visiting the Rail Wheel Factory at Yelahanka on Monday. Kharge said the expanded premises would help accommodate trains that were currently being halted elsewhere. The station would also get new platforms that would increase its capacity by over 50 per cent.
Kharge also asked officials to augment capacity at the Yelahanka railway station in order to make it capable of housing more trains. “There is a plan to develop four to five platforms at Yelahanka at a cost of `18-20 crore. The station is currently chockfull,” he said. He also announced plans for a maintenance and storage depot at the Banaswadi railway station for electric multiple unit (EMU) trains going towards Chennai on an electric line. The supplementary budget presented by Kharge also included plans for converting the Byappanahalli station into a terminal and a junction in order to relieve pressure off the crowded City and Yeshwantpur stations.
Kharge said the State government had agreed to provide 150 acres of land at Yadgir for a spare parts factory capable of producing 300 coaches per year. A sum of `75 crore has been allocated for the factory under the supplementary budget.