SWR proposes halt for all express trains at Yeshwanthpur

SWR proposes halt for all express trains at Yeshwanthpur

Anil Kumar Sastry and B.S. Ramesh
Decision is likely to be taken by the month-end

There is a demand to halt the Yeshwanthpur-Mangalore train at Kengeri

BANGALORE: South Western Railway (SWR) has proposed to halt all north and west-bound express and mail trains, except the Rajdhani Express, at Yeshwanthpur Railway Station even as it has favoured similar halts for a few important trains at Krishnarajapuram, Yelahanka and Kengeri.

Permission sought
The Bangalore Division of SWR has written to the Railway Board seeking permission to halt Rani Chennamma, Gandhidham, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Jan Shatabdi and other important trains at Yeshwanthpur.

Though Yeshwanthpur is the second largest terminal in the city, these and some other trains do not halt there.

Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Akhil Agarwal told The Hindu that the decision was taken to decongest the city roads.

Passengers travelling by these trains have to come all the way to the City station, though they stay close to suburban stations, he said.

Apart from decongesting the roads, train halts at these stations would considerably decrease the load on the City station, Mr. Agarwal said.

He said the proposal was sent some three months ago and a final decision would be taken at the Timetable Committee meeting to be held by the end of this month. Some of the important east and south-bound trains towards Dharmavaram, Chennai and Salem sectors would make brief halts at Yelahanka, Krishnarajapuram and Kengeri.

Demand
There is much demand for halting Kerala and Chennai-bound trains, including the Ernakulam Express, Kochuveli Express and Yeshwanthpur-Kannur Express at Krishnarajapuram as Bangalore East is largely domiciled by Tamils and Keralites. Also in demand is halting of the Yeshwanthpur-Mangalore train at Kengeri station for the benefit of people living in Kengeri, Nagarbhavi, Visvesvaraya Layout and Rajarajeshwarinagar.

Providing halts for all fast trains at all suburban stations was not feasible. Long-distance passenger trains run on a very tight time schedule and even a one-minute halt at a station will extend the journey time by at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, the city police have written to the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) to strengthen the existing rail network to decongest the central business district. The police said that railway stations at Bellandur, Whitefield, Chikkabanavara, Kengeri and Yelahanka could be strengthened and upgraded to full-fledged railway stations.

All trains touching these stations could stop at these stations.