MAJESTIC:Bowing to public demand, lifts and escalators at the city railway station are set to become functional at night as well.
At present, the station has four escalators and five lifts. Platform 1 has up and down escalators, while two escalators that just go up cater to Platform 4 and 5.
The lifts and escalators now function only from 6 am to 10 pm. Passengers reaching or leaving the city at night or in the wee hours have to walk to the exit.
On an average, seven trains depart from the city station between 10 pm and 6 am, three of them daily trains, said Soundararajan, Senior Divisional Operations Manager of Bengaluru Division.
They include the Chennai Mail, Kavery Express and the Shatabdi to Chennai. Nine trains reach the city from other destinations, four of them daily ones: Ernakulam Express, Chennai Mail (reverse direction), Kavery Express (reverse direction) and Sai Prashanti Nilayam Express, he said.
The lifts are manned by Excellent Technologies, whose staff work in two eight-hour shifts, said a top official.
Golf carts are available at the station but a number has to be dialled to summon them to a platform at night. The carts are not accessible to passengers who don’t know the number or have mobile connectivity.
Divisional Railway Manager Sanjiv Agarwal is keen on extending the timings. “There is no point in having all the infrastructure in place and not using it for those who really need it,” he said.
An official in the Electrical Department said it might take a week to a fortnight to extend the service.
On the actual extent of usage by passengers, the official said exact statistics were not maintained.
But roughly, 60 per cent of all passengers who alight or leave the station make use of the lifts and escalators, an official said.
“The escalator on Platform 1 is constantly running while those connecting Platform 4 and 5 aren’t used much because fewer trains arrive there,” he said.
Want a buggy?
You can dial 99007 89789 if you want an electric buggy at the city railway station. Buggies are used to transport luggage on the platforms, and ferry passengers who have problems walking.