Railway station concourse off course

Railway station concourse off course


The second entrance of the Bangalore City Railway Station where the concourse area was supposed to have been built.
N R MadhusudhanFirst Published : 18 Aug 2009 05:02:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 18 Aug 2009 07:52:27 AM IST
BANGALORE: The construction of the second concourse area at the second entrance of the Bangalore City Railway Station has not yet commenced, though the foundation stone was laid almost a year ago, the reason being cited is that the design and plan of the structure is not yet ready.
The main concourse area of the Bangalore City Railway Station is so congested that it is difficult to accommodate passengers visiting the station during peak hours.
The unreserved ticketing counters at the main concourse area are also crowded and people have to stand in queues for half an hour or more to buy tickets. The Railways are not in a position to start more unreserved ticket counters due to lack of space.
Moreover, there are no proper dormitory and toilet facilities in the main concourse area.
As a solution, the Railways had planned to construct a seven-storey concourse area at the Okalipuram side entrance of Bangalore City Railway Station. The Railways also sanctioned an amount of Rs 1.40 crore for the first phase of the building.
According to the plan, the new unreserved ticketing counters, reservation counters, dormitory facilities, waiting rooms, toilets and other facilities are supposed to be constructed in the new concourse area.
However, nearly 11 months have elapsed since the foundation ceremony, yet the construction work has not started.
One of the Railway officials said, “The design and plan of the structure has to be altered as the BBMP is planning to construct a flyover near the railway station and the design has to be altered to suit it. The design should be ready in a couple of weeks and the construction process will commence after that.”