City Railway Station to wear new look soon

City Railway Station to wear new look soon

Staff Reporter

Foundation stone laid for new building at Okalipuram side

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Facility: General Manager, South Western Railway Praveen Kumar (left) inaugurating the track maintenance vehicle in Bangalore on Tuesday.

BANGALORE: In a year, the Okalipuram entrance to the City Railway Station will wear a new look with a sprawling station building and other passenger amenities. This entrance, leading to Platform 10 downwards, currently caters to nearly half the passenger traffic of the City Railway Station.

South Western Railway (SWR) General Manager Praveen Kumar laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the project here on Tuesday. The first phase would encompass the ground floor of 17,400 sq.ft. carpet area, with a booking office, passenger lobby, food court and waiting area.. The entire building, after completion, will have a waiting hall, restaurant, toilets, inquiry desk and transit area on the first floor; offices for railway staff on the second floor; dormitory and toilets on the third floor; and retiring rooms on the fourth and fifth floors. The project is estimated to cost Rs. 7 crore and the total built up area will be 48,000 sq.ft.

Mr. Praveen Kumar said there was no hindrance from the Railways’ side regarding the proposal for a traffic signal-free underpass beneath the City Railway Station, connecting the Majestic area and Okalipuram. Everything has to be done by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), he added.
Third terminal

Mr. Praveen Kumar said Chinese Railways, the consultant appointed to prepare a detailed project report on developing the Byappanahalli railway station into a world-class utility, had reportedly submitted an initial report to the Railways Board. “I have not got the copy of the report,” he added.

At Byappanahalli, Mr. Praveen Kumar said, the Railways had over 100 acres of landA mega coach terminal with multi-modal transit facility would come up at Byappanahalli at a cost of over Rs. 1,000 crore, he said. This would make Byappanahalli the third major railway terminal in Bangalore, after the City and Yeshwanthpur terminals.

Divisional Railway Manager Akhil Agarwal and other senior officials were present. On the occasion, Mr. Praveen Kumar also flagged off a new track maintenance vehicle.