Railways plan exclusive line for Devanahalli

Railways plan exclusive line for Devanahalli
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Two dedicated railway lines have been planned to connect the Cantonment Railway Station in the heart of the city with the porposed Devanahalli International Airport.

A pre-feasibility study commissioned by the State Government has already been carried out by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES). The construction of the double line has been planned to begin in parallel with the airport work. ''The corridor will act like an ''airport shuttle'' from Devanahalli to Cantonment. The trains will make trips between the stations many times a day,'' Divisional Railway Manager Mahesh Kumar told this website's newspaper.

One of the proposals made by RITES is a track via Byappanahalli and Channasandra. The existing railway line from Cantonment will be made use of upto Channasandra. Beyond this point, a new track will be constructed up to Devanahalli railway station. If this plan comes through, then the Government will have to acquire land.

''There is another possibility, but that will partly take the route of the proposed Bangalore Metro that will connect Bellary Road at Ring Road junction to the proposed airport via Bagalur,'' RITES sources said. In this case, the track will be constructed above the roads with pillars on medians. It will also be a shorter route.

The railways have planned to build a railway station on the northern side of the existing Cantonment station exclusively for trains heading for the airport. These fully airconditioned trains will be equipped with luxuries to cater to flight passengers. ''We want to introduce check-in facility at the station itself, so that commuters need not wait for a long time at the airport. They can also hand over their baggage at the boarding point and reach Devanahalli in comfort. The trains will arrive right at the airport's doorstep.''

RITES has submitted the study to Infrastructure Development Corporation of Karnataka (IDECK). A detailed study will be undertaken after the initial report is cleared by the State's infrastructure department.