Work on the third coaching terminal at Baiyappanahalli, a project aimed at decongesting railway stations at Baiyappanahalli as well as Majestic, is gathering pace with officials hoping to open the first platform in June 2019.
Ashwani Lohani, Chairman of Railway Board, visited the site of the terminal at Baiyappanahalli and chaired a meeting to review the progress of ongoing works in Bengaluru and the rest of the state.
“Work on the terminal is going on at a good pace and the first platform should be ready around June. The completion of the project will add seven platforms,” R S Saxena, Divisional Railway Manager, told DH.
The much-anticipated project, whose revised estimate is pegged at Rs 116.01 crore, is expected to facilitate the smooth running of trains on Baiyappanahalli line.
The officials had previously said the seven platforms will help in terminating some of the long-distance trains at Baiyappanahalli, which will reduce the traffic at the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) station.
Accompanied by South Western Railway General Manager A K Singh and senior officers, Lohani also visited Railway Safety Village and Disaster Management College in Hejjala. He directed officials to complete the work and make the college ready for functioning by June.
Several key projects, including a proposal to add shunting lines at KSR station in Majestic, have been stuck due to the unavailability of land.
The state government is yet to reply to the railways’ letters seeking land for such projects. However, railway officials said the board would not interfere in such matters. “The board has given priority to Karnataka while sanctioning the projects. The state government has to reciprocate,” a senior official said.
To a question, the chairman said work on suburban railway would begin once the railways gets the detailed project report (DPR), being prepared by the Rail India Technical And Economic Services.