Infrastructure Index: BIAL

AIRPORT COUNTDOWN
20 MONTHS TO GO Air job OK, rail link ‘missing’
The Times of India

Devanahalli (Bangalore Rural): Dreaming Zurich dreams, a rail linking the Bangalore international airport to the city was thought of: It is still pending cabinet approval.

But one of the routes to the Bangalore international airport is almost done. Except for two road over bridges, all the rest of the six-lane national highway up to the airport, a 28 km journey, is a smooth drive.

Besides this, land for the trumpet interchange is pending a High Court stay on about three acres. The interchange, to lead from the national highway right into the airport’s approach road, also under construction.

“We are trying to expedite all of it,’’ infrastructure secretary Vinay Kumar said.

If the rail link comes through within two years, as hoped for by Bangalore International Airport Limited officials, passengers can get off their plane, go downstairs in the terminal building, hop onto a train and come straight to the heart of the city, a la Zurich.

The plan is also to have a check-in facility at the railway station itself for passengers taking flights out of the airport. This is similar to what is done on Euro Rail, particularly in S w i t z e rl a n d , wh e re checked-in luggage at the railway station reaches passenger only on arrival at the foreign destination, removing all bother.

Work on the airport site is in full swing. “Rain has been kind to us,’’ officials admitted. Over 1,800 workers are at the job in shifts, keeping the site thrumming with activity 16 hours a day.

About 29% of the airport work has been completed. Of the 4 km runway, more than half — 2.5 km — has wet mix mecadem (the black asphalt top) laid on to it.

Besides the huge 40 metre high air traffic control tower, the sprawling seven acre terminal building and the two-storey administrative block, several new buildings are now dotting the landscape. Seven of the nine ancillary buildings like fire station, vehicle maintenance, engineering maintenance and so on have reached roof level.

About 60,000 litres of recycled sewage water from the BWSSB’s Yelahanka plant is being used daily on the site.