New Visvesvaraya rail terminal: Built like an airport, flooded by downpour

Rainwater leaks through the roof of the brand new terminal. Credit: Special Arrangement

Bengaluru’s soon-to-be-opened ultra-modern Rs 314-crore Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Terminal in Baiyappanahalli had its entire subway inundated after Friday’s heavy rainfall.

As its designer ceiling leaked through multiple gaps, the subway linking the terminal’s seven platforms was heavily flooded. Workers had to wade through knee-deep water, struggling to flush it out. Hundreds of passengers would have suffered the same fate had the terminal been opened as planned in March.

The façade of the terminal, the largest air-conditioned railway concourse of its kind in the country, is modelled after the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). However, the leakage in the ceiling and the flooding have raised serious questions on the build quality.

By Sunday, the railway authorities had drained the entire terminal and the subway. Media was barred entry into the premises without written permission from the South Western Railway officials. Notice boards were also put up forbidding anyone to take photographs or videos. However, images sourced from inside showed that there was no trace of the flooding.

Many wondered how a short spell of showers that lasted only 30-45 minutes in the area could flood the entire subway. “The terminal is located on elevated land and water should have quickly drained out along the slope. That the water flooded the subway indicates the lack of a mechanism for rainwater harvesting,” noted railway analyst Sanjeev Dyamannavar.

Visuals of roof leakage were an indication also of poor workmanship, he said. However, an official from the railways’ construction department maintained that such seepages were a common occurrence even in metro stations and airports.

But this, from what it appeared from the images and videos, was much more serious. The leaking water had even entered the main terminal floor and the station master’s building. Further aggravating the risk, the water had entered the ducts holding electrical cables, and the control room with signalling equipment.

Frantic efforts are now underway to plug the structural flaws both on the roof and the stormwater management. Experts said the roof would have to be strengthened and design fixes made to prevent another leakage. This is expected to take a few weeks.

On Sunday, the South Western Railway tweeted, “The flooding of subway prima facie is due to backflow in rainwater drainage resulting from the heavy downpour. Our team is undertaking corrective measures for the same to prevent recurrence.”

Later, it was updated that the final phase of the rainwater harvesting system was under completion.

“Water was diverted to the main roof canopy. Water in the subway receded immediately upon stop of downpour. Measures in place to enable smooth drain of water,” the tweet stated.

The bulk of the work on the city’s third railway terminal had been completed by February. After much delay, the formal inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled this month-end. However, it is now likely only by the end of May or beginning of June.