On June 6, Bengaluru began the much-awaited operations of the newly built Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal at Baiyappanahalli, which is bound to leave the passengers in awe with its airport-like features.
Intending to decongest the existing two junctions at Yeshwanthpura and KSR Bengaluru, this new and sophisticated terminal is set to aid in downsizing the overcrowding of the said stations. DH speaks to people at the bustling station of Yeswanthpura to understand the challenges of the unpopular congestion and the new Baiyappanahalli terminal.
Rekha Holla, a passenger, recalls an incident when she experienced a six-hour delay due to overcrowding of trains at the Yeswanthpura terminal: “I remember returning from Nagpur and being stuck for six hours because of too many long-distance trains wanting to stop at the station.” She hopes the new terminal will help reduce the congestion at Yeswanthpura.
Expressing some concerns about the Baiyappanahalli terminal, a train manager at Yeshwanthpur station says, “Unlike Yeswanthpura, which has metro connectivity, the Baiyappanahalli terminal is located a bit far from the metro station. This will give passengers a hard time since there are no direct buses from the metro station to the terminal as of now. Once the transport facilities are taken care of at Baiyappanahalli, people would prefer to go there instead of Yeswanthpura.”