BENGALURU: To restore heritage railway stations and attract tourists, the South Western Railway has commenced the operation of three pairs of MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) trains between Bengaluru and Chikkaballapur via Nandi Halt station, located around 1.4 km from the base of Nandi Hills. Four stations — Doddajala, Devanahalli, Avatihalli, and Nandi Halt — have been selected for restoration in phase one.
The 107-year-old Nandi Halt railway station and the other three will be renovated into museums, art galleries, libraries and exhibition centres to showcase the Railways’ cultural and monumental heritage.
The stations have been renovated by reusing old materials of the old buildings, said Additional Divisional Railway Manager Kusuma Hariprasad.
Two MEMU trains started operations on December 11 from Cantonment Railway Station at 5.10 am and 4 pm. The third train from Yesvantpur starts at 10.10 am. The trains cover the journey in 1.5 hours and the ticket fare till Chikkaballapur is Rs 40.
The trains that were running up to Devanahalli have now been extended to Chikkaballapur, which has led to a 6 per cent increase in the number of passengers.“The Nandi Halt Station is still under construction and will be converted into a Rail Museum cum Rail Park on 13 acres of land. The railway department has written to Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation for feeder bus services,” said Kusuma.
However, members of the Passenger Amenities Committee, a statutory organisation under the Railway Ministry, said the train services are not available on Sunday, and people, especially those from the IT sector, from Bengaluru, will not be able to enjoy the service.
Ayush Raina, travelling to Nandi Halt station, said, “I came to know about this service from social media and this is my first trip. To my surprise, the train was clean and hygienic and is very convenient to travel out of Bengaluru with such pricing.”
Another commuter Anugraha Ruben appreciated the train service and said how convenient it was, considering the heavy traffic and expensive cab services to reach places covered by the train.
Peacock struck to train engine, taken for treatment
A peacock was found badly stuck in the train’s engine before it commenced its operations from Yesvantpur on Friday morning. The condition of the bird was serious. A railway staff pulled the bird out of the engine.
“The bird was taken to a local veterinary hospital and is being treated,” said Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Kusuma Hariprasad.