Finally, Visvesvaraya terminal opens but without fanfare

More than a year after it was built, the Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Baiyyappanahalli (SMVB) saw commercial operations on Monday as the Ernakulam Tri-Weekly Express chugged out of its platform without any fanfare late in the evening on Monday.

On Monday evening, however, railway enthusiasts, activists and media persons outnumbered the passengers as they came to celebrate the moment. There were cheers across the platform, while every nook and corner became a selfie spot. Many spoke about the long wait for the operationalisation of the facility.

Ramesh Babu and Karthika Ramesh, a couple travelling to Ernakulam, said they were thrilled to see the terminal. “This seems more like an airport than a railway station. The elegant design and cleanliness make it look like an international facility. I am so happy that I can come here every two months when I travel to Ernakulam,” said Babu.

Meena Anand, a passenger, said she wished the trains were as clean as the station.

Delayed opening

Work on all the infrastructure of the first air-conditioned railway terminal of south India was completed by the beginning of last year. The railways officially cited the lack of connectivity for the delay in the inauguration while sources said the wait for the prime minister was the reason for the delay.

“I can say there is a sense of relief. In fact, we got tired of demanding the railways to stop waiting for VIPs and start operations. Even now, I feel that we were let down. This was a moment the Railways could have used to introduce a new train to several of the poorly connected places in Karnataka. It’s unfortunate that they are running an old train to Ernakulam,” said Karnataka Railway Vedike’s Krishna Prasad.

'Hope passengers will keep it clean'

The beginning of the train operations at Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Byappanahalli brought joy to the maintenance staff who, however, said passengers who come to the station should respect its premises.
Radha, one of the staffers who worked in the shed, said she was happy to be part of the staffers who are keeping SMVB clean. "It takes hours for us to clean a platform. We hope the passengers will not spit or throw waste. This cleanliness can be maintained when all of us work together," she said.
Praveen Prabhakaran, who supervises the work, said a team of 80 staffers work in shifts to keep the terminal as well as the adjacent railway shed clean. "Eight persons work on a platform which is cleaned at least twice in a day. There will be other works in addition to the routine," he said.

More trains from SMVB

Three more trains will begin operations from the SMVB terminal in the coming days. The Kochuveli Bi-Weekly Humsafar Express (16320) will start running from SMVB from June 10, the Patna Weekly Humsafar (22354) will begin operations from the SMVB from June 12.

The South Western Railway announced on Monday that a MEMU train to Bangarpet will commence operations from the SMVB starting from June 20. The Bangarpet-SMVB-Bangarpet Unreserved MEMU Express (06527/06528) will leave Bangarpet at 8.30 pm and reach SMVB at 9.45 pm. In the return direction, the train will depart from SMVB at 4.30 am and reach Bangarpet at 5.40 am.