Baiyappanahalli train terminal all set for Deepavali opening

Work is going on in full swing. DH Photos/B H Shivakumar

Work is going on in full swing. DH Photos/B H Shivakumar

Work is going on in full swing. DH Photos/B H Shivakumar

The imposing facade of the new railway terminal. DH PHOTO/B H SHIVAKUMAR

The imposing facade of the new railway terminal. DH PHOTO/B H SHIVAKUMAR

Recording several firsts in Indian rail history, the Baiyappanahalli Coaching Terminal — the city’s third — is all set to be commissioned by Deepavali, before mid-November. Its façade modeled after the Kempegowda International Airport terminal, the new facility is bound to dramatically alter the departure and arrival experience of rail commuters.

By September end, most of the terminal’s ongoing structural work will be complete, a top South Western Railway (SWR) official told DH. A site visit by a DH team on Wednesday showed the imposing façade, covering the entire terminal, in place. Interiors and floor works were in brisk progress.

Outside, all the seven platforms had taken shape. For commuters long used to the triangular roof standardised in stations and terminals across India, Baiyappanahalli could offer visual relief. An engineer at the site explained how the platform roof was designed to be flatter for better aesthetics and leak-proofing.

The terminal will be the first in the country to be designed on the lines of an airport. Baiyappanahalli will also house India’s largest centrally air-conditioned railway terminal concourse. Every platform is 15m wide and 600m long.

A long, oval-shaped foot overbridge will link all the seven platforms. “Initially only the first platform will get a escalator and a lift. Later, the plan is to install them on all the platforms,” the official informed. The terminal and the platforms will be illuminated by ‘100% LED lights’.

Work is also underway to complete two subways connecting all the platforms. These can be accessed both by stairs and ramps for the physically challenged.

Built to decongest the KSR City Railway Station and the Yeswhantpur terminal, the new facility will cater to only two trains when it is operationalised. “Currently, only six trains are operating in Bengaluru. But in time, several long-distance trains will terminate and start from here.”

The terminal will also be equipped with its own rainwater harvesting and storage facility. A Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) with a capacity of 4 lakh litres is also in the pipeline.

Inside the terminal, the first floor will house a food court and cafeteria, accessed through escalators. The waiting areas will be built within the ground floor design.

Digital display boards on train arrivals and departures will be placed at multiple locations within the terminal and on the platforms. Mobile charging pods will also be in good numbers.