BENGALURU: The work on a bus bay at the Yesvantpur Railway Station is set to begin shortly after a four-month lockdown. Meanwhile, the long-planned foot over bridge (FOB) that could connect the railway station and the Metro on one end — an eight-year-old demand — is yet to see any progress. Another bridge proposed to connect both entries of the station via all platforms, is likely to be shelved for now.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior railway official said that work on the bus station on the Tumakuru side of the station, which had abruptly stopped due to the pandemic, has restarted. “Passengers alighting at the station, who currently travel till Tumakuru Road to board buses, can do so on the premises of the railway station. It would take nearly three months for the bus station to be ready from our end. A maximum of six buses can be parked here.”
A senior BMTC official said, “We are looking at operating only short distance buses from the station premises, which could cover a maximum of 7 to 8 km. At present, nearly 2,000 buses pass along the Tumakuru Road, which is walkable distance from the railway station.” Railways needs to put in place the path from its premises to the main road, on priority, he added.
An FOB that would connect the Metro and railway stations, also on the Tumakuru Road side, is yet to see the light of day. A senior railway official said, “It is only a bridge running till a distance of less than 100 metre. Structural designs need to be submitted by BMRCL and it has to be approved by experts at IIT. BMRCL will take up the work once all technical clearance is done.” He did not give any deadline for its completion.
Another proposal mooted by BMRCL two years ago, to construct a second bridge that would connect the congested main entry (market side) of the station to its second entry passing through all the six platforms is likely to be shelved.