After a detailed study of the station, a preliminary report has been submitted by a top railway official with a slew of proposals. Chief among them being the linking of the Byappanahalli railway station with the upcoming metro rail station here and converting the vacant railway land in its vicinity, running into 200 acres, into a terminal.
The report has been submitted to the Hubli Division, the Zonal headquarters of South Western Railway for approval. With the Bangalore City station bursting at its seams with 76 pairs of trains running daily and Yeshwantpur too getting strained by operating 29 pairs of trains, Byappanahalli station will emerge as a crucial terminus in the future, the report said. “The passenger traffic in Bangalore is growing between 15% and 20% annually and Byappanahalli will play a key role in reducing congestion here and Yeshwantpur,” said the official.
“It has been suggested that ten platforms be constructed here,” he added. It has also been proposed that the station be provided with different entry and exit points to avoid any confusion between passengers arriving and departing from the station. Elaborate parking arrangements too have been suggested. The station is expected to be fully operational within four or five years and is likely to have a daily traffic flow of one lakh passengers, he added. When asked about the future of the report, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Akhil Agrawal, said that a consultant would be appointed within six weeks to assess the cost estimates and work out the feasibility of the suggestions made.
The NGEF land, by the side of the KSRTC terminus here, might also be utilised to provide the maintenance and circulating area for the station, he informed. “Both Metro Rail and KSRTC terminus must be well connected with Byappanahalli railway station to benefit passengers and all possibilities in this connection are examined when the model station is being set up,” the DRM added.
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