Foot overbridge closure at Bengaluru's Whitefield railway station snaps vital access point

Bengaluru: The closure of the foot overbridge (FOB) at the Whitefield railway station in eastern Bengaluru has put passengers as well as area residents to severe hardship. 

The 180-metre-long FOB links all the four platforms of the railway station. It is also connected to another FOB that starts near the Kadugodi bus station and the Whitefled metro station and ends on Station Road, Kadugodi. 

The FOB that runs within the station was closed for 10 days, starting October 1. 

Passengers are now forced to walk for a kilometre from the platforms to the bus stand, while the FOB allowed them to walk just a distance of 300 metres for the same. 

While the older passengers struggle to walk the distance, younger ones jump off the platforms to cross the tracks to avoid the long walk. People were also seen jumping over the railway station compound. 

"People who are in a hurry to reach their workplace do not prefer to walk such a long distance,” Gayathri, a passenger, said. 

However, some passengers believe that the closure is for a safer infrastructure. "This is a matter of just a few days. The repair will ensure our own safety and avoid accidents,” said Ramsurat, another passenger. 

Passengers also criticised the lack of elevators. 

People jump over the railway station compound wall to cross the tracks to avoid the long walk. 

Venkatesh, a resident, said senior citizens find it the most difficult to climb up and down the bridges, and demanded that lifts be installed on the platforms at the earliest. 

"People from places like Malur and Bangarpet who come to visit hospitals like Sri Sathya Sai, Manipal, and Vydehi find it difficult to navigate through the bridges without elevators,” said a salesman at the Nandini milk booth on platform 1. 

He added that not many long-distance trains stop at Whitefield. “This has led to the platforms being severely crowded during the peak hours,” he said. 

Passengers who spoke to DH said that with Whitefield being a significant area in the suburbs, facilitating the presence of major tech companies and hospitals, "more and frequent trains should be allowed to operate through the area". 

What the railways says

Bengaluru Railway Divisional Manager Yogesh Mohan said the foot overbridge (FOB) was closed as a precautionary measure after it started vibrating due to "overcrowding". 

"It was getting difficult to control the crowd. So, we have closed the FOB as a precautionary measure. We are strengthening the skywalk by adding structural members, which will take 10 days," he told DH. 

Regarding other amenities, he said Whitefield was being developed the under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. "It will get a new station building, escalators and other amenities," he said.