Railways, BMRCL fail to bridge commitment deficit

 The work on the extension of the foot overbridge, linking the Yeshwantpur railway station to the overlooking Metro station on Tumkur Road, is yet to take off even as Namma Metro is likely to start commercial operations on the Yeshwantpur line by the end of November.

The overbridge will benefit passengers alighting from the 50-odd trains that the Yeshwantpur station handles daily and wishing to take the Metro to reach Malleswaram, Rajajinagar and Peenya.

The connectivity between the two stations exists only on paper and the lackadaisical approach of the authorities or the lack of coordination between the Railways and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) are to be blamed.

The footbridge is expected to serve as a crucial link, saving commuters considerable amount of trouble crossing the busy road with their luggage and also choking the main entrance of the railway station opposite the Metro station entrance.

 Sources in BMRCL said the delay is attributed reportedly to some differences between the two departments over land and cost sharing.

Railway officials and BMRCL officials are, however, optimistic. They say the issues have been sorted out and work on the overbridge will start soon.

Says BMRCL managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola, “There is a high power committee which has members from both BMRCL and the Railways. The matter will be resolved by the committee at their level”.

Anil K Aggarwal, divisional railway manager (South Western Railways), says, “The foot overbridge is very much a part of the plan to link the two stations. We had some issues earlier, but they have been resolved and BMRCL has agreed to construct the link.” 

Yeshwantpur, which is already a crucial Railway junction, is all set to become an inter-modal transit soon, facilitating easy switchover between various modes of transport.

 When the Metro station on Tumkur Road starts commercial operations, people will be able to hop off a Metro train and onto a bus at the Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC).

They can also reach the TTMC and hop on the Metro for intra-city travel.