<div>Bengaluru’s explosive, unbridled growth on its chaotic periphery has brought the outlying railway stations in sharp focus. Neglected for ages, virtually abandoned by the development brigade, these stations are now in desperate need of a hyper upgrade. As the city waits endlessly for a robust suburban rail network, shouldn’t Bengalureans at least have these critical rail heads in working order?<br /><br />Determined to escape the gridlocked road traffic, engineers from tech-hub Electronic City now turn up at these stations in their teeming hundreds. So does factory workers from Bommasandra, Sarjapur road and Whitefield, commuting between their work places and homes in Banaswadi, Hebbal and Yeswanthpura. But are the stations on their route dependable? Are they equipped enough?<br /><br />Unrelenting pressure from the Karnataka-Kerala Travellers Forum did push the Railways to permit Express train halts at the Banaswadi and Carmelaram stations enroute to Yeswanthpura. Banaswadi has had an image makeover, complete with food stalls, a foot overbridge and platform upgrade. Carmelaram too is on the same path, but the progress is slow. <br /><br />Carmelaram, work in progress<br />Right within walking distance of Sarjapur main road, the Carmelaram station’s stature has risen sharply in recent years. Seventeen trains, eight of them long-distance Express trains such as the Yeshwanthpura-Kannur and Ernakulam-Bangalore City Intercity, halt here. The DEMU train, Yeshwanthpura-Hosur-Yeshwanthpura passenger stops here for a minute, catering to hundreds of locals. <br /><br />A second platform is now being built here. But the work has slackened due to recent rains. “The platform height is too low now. There is no light, and elderly passengers find it extremely tough to board the trains,” points out Nagendra N., a senior software engineer, who commutes daily between Hosur and Carmelaram. His colleague, Bhavani Ramana complains about the lack of parking facility at the station. There is no security either.<br /><br />Less than 15 minutes by train from Carmelaram is the Heelalige station, the closest rail head to Electronic City. Barely 1.5 km from here is the Hosur road. An estimated 300 IT engineers, Biocon employees and factory workers from Bommasandra take the long distance and DEMU trains here. Yet, the station cries for a serious upgrade. <br /><br />Heelalige, neglected <br />Railway officials say the platform length of about 300 meters can barely cater to an Express train. Half the number of coaches lie outside, making it tough for older passengers to board and alight. There are no food stalls, no working toilet or proper seats. The officials say a tender was floated for parking, but no contractor showed interest. There was also a catering unit, but the contract was closed due to non-payment.<br /><br />“I have been taking trains at this station for the last seven years, but haven’t seen any improvement barring a whitewash of the walls. The toilet was cleaned up, but now it is always kept locked,” says Keshavan, lecturer at a private engineering college right opposite the station.<br /><br />For most commuters, the most glaring lacunae is the lack of bus connectivity. A lone BMTC bus makes a single trip till the station from Chandapura. But Keshavan says the bus seldom sticks to its schedule. This complaint of inadequate or completely absent bus connectivity finds an echo in most railway stations, both on the periphery and within the city proper.<br /><br />Baiyappanahalli disconnect<br />At the Baiyappanahalli railway station, the foot overbridge to the Metro station has definitely added a multi-modal transport option to commuters. However, there is still no BMTC bus connectivity on the Old Madras road side for commuters heading towards the City from KR Puram and beyond. <br /><br />Citizens for Sustainability (CiFoS) member, Sathya Sankaran draws attention to the K R Puram station, a major transport hub but ultra chaotic. Trapped in extreme traffic congestions, passengers find connectivity an alien concept. “Informally, one BMTC driver used to wait for a particular train to come so that he can get passenger. Why can’t this isolated scene be formalised, and schedules fixed accordingly,” wonders Sankaran. <br /><br />Informally again, some engineers bound for Electronic City and surrounding areas have teamed up to arrange cabs. Autorickshaws are available, but for a price. Due to this lack of public transport connectivity, women passengers such as Biocon employee Latha Shyam find alternatives unsafe. They seek more buses with timings in sync with the train schedule. <br /><br />Dr Rangarajan from Narayana Hrudayalaya contends that there is every reason for more trains to stop at Heelalige. “The morning schedule of the DEMU train is still not permanent. More Express trains halting here will benefit more,” he reasons, a point that gets instant approval from the waiting passengers. <br /><br /><br /></div>
<div>Bengaluru’s explosive, unbridled growth on its chaotic periphery has brought the outlying railway stations in sharp focus. Neglected for ages, virtually abandoned by the development brigade, these stations are now in desperate need of a hyper upgrade. As the city waits endlessly for a robust suburban rail network, shouldn’t Bengalureans at least have these critical rail heads in working order?<br /><br />Determined to escape the gridlocked road traffic, engineers from tech-hub Electronic City now turn up at these stations in their teeming hundreds. So does factory workers from Bommasandra, Sarjapur road and Whitefield, commuting between their work places and homes in Banaswadi, Hebbal and Yeswanthpura. But are the stations on their route dependable? Are they equipped enough?<br /><br />Unrelenting pressure from the Karnataka-Kerala Travellers Forum did push the Railways to permit Express train halts at the Banaswadi and Carmelaram stations enroute to Yeswanthpura. Banaswadi has had an image makeover, complete with food stalls, a foot overbridge and platform upgrade. Carmelaram too is on the same path, but the progress is slow. <br /><br />Carmelaram, work in progress<br />Right within walking distance of Sarjapur main road, the Carmelaram station’s stature has risen sharply in recent years. Seventeen trains, eight of them long-distance Express trains such as the Yeshwanthpura-Kannur and Ernakulam-Bangalore City Intercity, halt here. The DEMU train, Yeshwanthpura-Hosur-Yeshwanthpura passenger stops here for a minute, catering to hundreds of locals. <br /><br />A second platform is now being built here. But the work has slackened due to recent rains. “The platform height is too low now. There is no light, and elderly passengers find it extremely tough to board the trains,” points out Nagendra N., a senior software engineer, who commutes daily between Hosur and Carmelaram. His colleague, Bhavani Ramana complains about the lack of parking facility at the station. There is no security either.<br /><br />Less than 15 minutes by train from Carmelaram is the Heelalige station, the closest rail head to Electronic City. Barely 1.5 km from here is the Hosur road. An estimated 300 IT engineers, Biocon employees and factory workers from Bommasandra take the long distance and DEMU trains here. Yet, the station cries for a serious upgrade. <br /><br />Heelalige, neglected <br />Railway officials say the platform length of about 300 meters can barely cater to an Express train. Half the number of coaches lie outside, making it tough for older passengers to board and alight. There are no food stalls, no working toilet or proper seats. The officials say a tender was floated for parking, but no contractor showed interest. There was also a catering unit, but the contract was closed due to non-payment.<br /><br />“I have been taking trains at this station for the last seven years, but haven’t seen any improvement barring a whitewash of the walls. The toilet was cleaned up, but now it is always kept locked,” says Keshavan, lecturer at a private engineering college right opposite the station.<br /><br />For most commuters, the most glaring lacunae is the lack of bus connectivity. A lone BMTC bus makes a single trip till the station from Chandapura. But Keshavan says the bus seldom sticks to its schedule. This complaint of inadequate or completely absent bus connectivity finds an echo in most railway stations, both on the periphery and within the city proper.<br /><br />Baiyappanahalli disconnect<br />At the Baiyappanahalli railway station, the foot overbridge to the Metro station has definitely added a multi-modal transport option to commuters. However, there is still no BMTC bus connectivity on the Old Madras road side for commuters heading towards the City from KR Puram and beyond. <br /><br />Citizens for Sustainability (CiFoS) member, Sathya Sankaran draws attention to the K R Puram station, a major transport hub but ultra chaotic. Trapped in extreme traffic congestions, passengers find connectivity an alien concept. “Informally, one BMTC driver used to wait for a particular train to come so that he can get passenger. Why can’t this isolated scene be formalised, and schedules fixed accordingly,” wonders Sankaran. <br /><br />Informally again, some engineers bound for Electronic City and surrounding areas have teamed up to arrange cabs. Autorickshaws are available, but for a price. Due to this lack of public transport connectivity, women passengers such as Biocon employee Latha Shyam find alternatives unsafe. They seek more buses with timings in sync with the train schedule. <br /><br />Dr Rangarajan from Narayana Hrudayalaya contends that there is every reason for more trains to stop at Heelalige. “The morning schedule of the DEMU train is still not permanent. More Express trains halting here will benefit more,” he reasons, a point that gets instant approval from the waiting passengers. <br /><br /><br /></div>
