<p>Whitefield and Hoody commuters can heave a sigh of relief as the Hoody halt station, located behind Shantiniketan apartments, is expected to open soon. With this, commuters can reach Majestic, K R Puram, Yeshwantpur and other railway terminals without much hassles. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The station, built at a cost of Rs 1.76 crore, has two platforms, shelters, benches and a booking office. Barring the construction of a ticketing counter, all the works have been completed. <br /><br />Located between Krishnarajapuram and Whitefield railway stations, the halt station is two km away from Whitefield. As many as six pairs of passenger trains running between Bengaluru and Bangarpet pass through the halt station daily, according to sources in the Railways.<br /><br />Funding for project<br /><br />Bangalore Central MP P C Mohan, who financed the project from his MP’s Local Area Development funds, told Deccan Herald: “The work started a year ago and by the month-end, the station is expected to become operational. The construction of the ticketing counter will be completed in two weeks. A skywalk at an estimated cost of Rs 1.12 lakh would come up near the station within a year. Earlier, the trains on this route used to halt for a few seconds and mostly railway workers boarded the trains.”<br /><br />Sudhanshu Mohanty from Whitefield Rising, a citizen group that had been campaigning for the halt station, said that opening the station will be a huge relief for Whitefield employees. “Traffic in the IT corridor is a nightmare and commuting by trains will save a lot of our time and energy,” Mohanty added. <br /><br />Sridhar Murthy, senior divisional commercial manager, South Western Railway, said that they are still discussing the number of trains that can be allowed to halt at the station. “However, we will allow the trains to stop for at least half a minute,” he added.</p>
<p>Whitefield and Hoody commuters can heave a sigh of relief as the Hoody halt station, located behind Shantiniketan apartments, is expected to open soon. With this, commuters can reach Majestic, K R Puram, Yeshwantpur and other railway terminals without much hassles. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The station, built at a cost of Rs 1.76 crore, has two platforms, shelters, benches and a booking office. Barring the construction of a ticketing counter, all the works have been completed. <br /><br />Located between Krishnarajapuram and Whitefield railway stations, the halt station is two km away from Whitefield. As many as six pairs of passenger trains running between Bengaluru and Bangarpet pass through the halt station daily, according to sources in the Railways.<br /><br />Funding for project<br /><br />Bangalore Central MP P C Mohan, who financed the project from his MP’s Local Area Development funds, told Deccan Herald: “The work started a year ago and by the month-end, the station is expected to become operational. The construction of the ticketing counter will be completed in two weeks. A skywalk at an estimated cost of Rs 1.12 lakh would come up near the station within a year. Earlier, the trains on this route used to halt for a few seconds and mostly railway workers boarded the trains.”<br /><br />Sudhanshu Mohanty from Whitefield Rising, a citizen group that had been campaigning for the halt station, said that opening the station will be a huge relief for Whitefield employees. “Traffic in the IT corridor is a nightmare and commuting by trains will save a lot of our time and energy,” Mohanty added. <br /><br />Sridhar Murthy, senior divisional commercial manager, South Western Railway, said that they are still discussing the number of trains that can be allowed to halt at the station. “However, we will allow the trains to stop for at least half a minute,” he added.</p>
