BENGALURU: Bengaluru Railway Division plans to set up a crossing station at Doddajala. to run more trains to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) halt station, and has sent a proposal to the Railway Board, said divisional railway manager, Bengaluru Division, Ashok Kumar Verma. The KIA halt station is set to open by September-end. The reopening of suburban services is unlikely to start by then but the station will commence operations. Airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Limited, plans to run shuttle buses from the halt station to the terminal.
Prior to the shutdown of train operations in March, three trains ran along this route —two along the Kolar-Yelahanka line and one along the Whitefield- Kolar line. “They will halt here when operations start again. Depending on the patronage we will be able to run six or seven trains from the city to KIA,” Verma said.
“To ensure more trains run along this single line, we have proposed a crossover station at Doddajala station. It will cost us up to Rs 10 crore. The Railway Board is likely to announce it in the next railway budget,” Verma added.
Urban transport expert Sanjeev Dyammanavar said there was an urgent need to electrify the section between Yelahanka and Devanahalli as many surrounding stretches have been electrified. “Once that is done, multiple electric unit (MEMU) trains can be run to the airport from even as far as Mysuru,” he said.
Just Rs 20 A ticket on a suburban train from the city to the halt station would not exceed Rs 20, the DRM said.