South Western Railway likely to remove 385 trees to develop Bengaluru Cantonment station

The Cantonment railway station is all set to lose its pristine greenery as the railways has sought the removal of 385 trees to construct new buildings.

The work, being taken up under the Cantonment Railway Station Development project, involves constructing a new office complex for the Chief Administrative Officer of the South Western Railway (SWR), a permanent way training centre, residential quarters, hostel, and other amenities.

The SWR has written to the forest authorities seeking removal of the trees, most of them mango, coconut, jackfruit, and jungle trees.

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“The station development is likely to start from September last week. The matter may please be treated as most urgent,” the railways said. The Bangalore Cantonment railway station, whose history can be traced to 1860s, is up for a major redevelopment programme as the railways seeks to monetise its land resources through various commercial development activities.

Railway officials said they were in the process of finalising a tender for the works.

The artistic design of the station, shared by the Ministry of Railways, indicates that the railways seeks to redevelop the greenery around the station with new plantations, wider circulating area, and approach roads.