Bengaluru: The South Western Railway's proposal to make Cantonment Railway station a Suburban Rail terminal, on the lines of Victoria Terminus and Church Gate station in Mumbai, has reached the Railway Board's table.
In December 2017, the Bengaluru Division announced its plans to add two platforms in the vacant land available towards the Frazer Town side. “Work for this has been proposed by SWR at a cost of Rs 35 crore and is under consideration by Railway Board. If approved, it will appear as a new sanction in the next budget,” said E. Vijaya, public relations officer of South Western Railway.
MP PC Mohan too had offered to provide funds for the project, through his MPLAD scheme. “Platforms 1A and 1B as well as 3 and 4 can be used to originate and terminate suburban rail services. They can also be used to park idle MEMU trains, to not further burden the capacity of the main lines," he had said earlier.
In addition to this, SWR plans to have a Foot Over Bridge connecting Platforms 1 and 2 to the exit towards Miller’s Road. They are also in talks with BMRCL to connect the travelator from Platform 1 to underground Cantonment Metro Station.
“If implemented, it will be a necessary addition to Bengaluru's Suburban Rail,” patrons said. “We recently observed a push for suburban rail by the Centre. With the elections approaching, the BJP is keen to provide suburban connectivity to Congress-governed Bengaluru. The suburban rail terminal will be approved by the Board. It is a must and long overdue," said Krishna Prasad, member, Karnataka Railway Vedike.
As Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station is crowded, Cantonment is the best option to create a terminal station allowing more trains to ply towards Kengeri, Tumakuru, Yeshwanthpur, International Airport, Nelamangala, Marikuppam, etc.
This will help the Railways run additional suburban trains towards the IT corridor, that is Hosur, Carmelram (Sarjapur side), Heelalige and Bellandur. Apart from this, it will cater to commuters working in offices at Baiyappanahalli, KR Puram and Whitefield section too.
