Bengaluru: The Metro is reaching far corners of the city and Bengalureans have taken to it wholeheartedly. But on an anachronistic note, just a small distance away from Byappanahalli - where one of the biggest Metro stations is situated - motorists spend hours trying to pass a railway level-crossing.
Way back in December 2011, the South Western Railway announced that it was taking up the construction of a railway over bridge to make life easier for motorists.
Six years later, throughout the day, there are long ragged queues of vehicles on either side of the railway crossing, waiting for the train to arrive and go past before the railway crossing is opened. In a day, the crossing is closed 68 times, and each time, it is a 10-minute to half-an-hour wait.
Over 50 different trains pass through the railway crossing every day. According to a Railways estimate, more than 12 lakh vehicles pass through this level-crossing on a daily basis. To add to that, the stretch of road at the level-crossing is broken and is in horrendous shape.
Work on the approach ramp from Old Madras Road side has been stopped due to land dispute with defence authorities. A lot of commuters use the railway crossing to reach Maruthisevanagar and Banaswadi from Old Madras Road.
People using the route have to sometimes wait up to an hour-and-a-half for traffic jams to clear. A simple double-laned crossing, the point is a place where three roads meet. Madras Engineering Group, which has its garrison bordering the railway crossing, says it has rights to the road leading to the railway crossing causing headaches for the South Western Railway management.
SW Railway had planned to spend Rs 17 crore on the construction of the railway over bridge, but is currently stuck in a quagmire as it tussles with MEG over land acquisition. This inordinate delay has caused problems for commuters using the route.
Ketan Dhanraj uses the road every day to get to his office in Indira Nagar from his home near ITC factory.
“I have to travel by this road and use the railway crossing as it is the shortest route to my workplace. Sometimes I get stuck for more than an hour despite using a two-wheeler. I hope somebody does something about this railway crossing.”
Auto driver Abdul Pasha is patiently waiting at the junction for the gates to open. “Quite a long wait,” he yells at the top of his voice at a DEMU passenger train chugs by. “Had to wait for close to half-an-hour, not bad for a weekday,” he chuckles as he tugs at his auto's starting yoke. C.V. Raman Nagar MLA S. Raghu has been supporting the building of a railway overbridge at Byappanahalli railway crossing for long. He was unavailable for comment.
