Air-conditioned train terminal in Bengaluru expected to open in March-end
Mar 14, 2021
Bengaluru Karnataka) [India], March 14 : A fully air-conditioned railway terminal is expected to be opened in the last week of March at a cost of Rs 3.14 crores, a senior official of the Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) informed on Sunday.
Named after one of India's top engineers, the Visvesvaraya terminal at Baiyappanahalli in East Bengaluru is an upgraded version of one that opened two years ago in Varanasi. The terminal boasts of features associated with good amenities, which include seven platforms and six stabling lines that will take the load off the KSR city railway station in Bengaluru and Yeshwantpur railway stations.
It was sanctioned in 2014-15 but work had not started until 2017 when the Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) sought to bring external investment to take up the project under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model.
The terminal opens on the western side to Baiyappanahalli Road, connecting Old Madras Road and Doddabanaswadi Main Road. The 2,880-square meter building, complete with fully air-conditioned facilities like elevators, lifts, well-made platforms, a cafetaria, seven ticket counters, and one counter for people with disabilities.
"The terminal was expected to commence functioning about three months ago but after many missed deadlines it will finally be launched in March 2021. All finishing works will be finalized in another 10 days so we are expecting a brief from the prime minister's office for the inaugural function," the senior officer said.