Karmelaram-Bellandur Road double line gets safety nod; demand grows for more local trains

Bengaluru: The Karmelaram-Bellandur Road double line has received the statutory safety clearance. 

On Tuesday, Commissioner of Railway Safety (Southern Circle) AM Chowdhary conducted an inspection and speed trial of the 3.522-km newly constructed double line. He also inspected the new Huskur crossing station, located near Electronics City. 

The double line is part of the 48-km Baiyappanahalli–Hosur doubling project.  

Work started in June 2020, and the project has dragged on. K-RIDE, the project implementing agency, earlier commissioned only the Karmelaram-Heelalige section (10.5 km) in 2023. 

According to the South Western Railway (SWR), the Karmelaram-Bellandur Road section has a major bridge with a span of 2×12.2 metres PSC slab for four tracks, 11 minor bridges and one road underbridge for five-track crossing. 

At Bellandur Road, a subway connecting platforms 1 and 2 has been constructed. Previously a halt station, it has now been upgraded to a full-fledged yard with five lines (roads) and two high-level platforms, each 600 metres long. 

At Huskur, a new crossing station yard with two new loop lines and three crossovers on both ends of the yard have been constructed. 

The commissioning of this Karmelaram-Bellandur Road section will facilitate the operation of more trains between Baiyappanahalli and Heelalige and enhance flexibility in train operations, the SWR said. 

Anekal Road is also getting a new station, three platforms and a foot overbridge. New station buildings have already been constructed at Karmelaram and Heelalige under the project. 

Rajkumar Dugar, founder and convenor of Citizens For Citizens, welcomed the commissioning of the new double line and urged the railways to start new up/down MEMU train services between Bengaluru Cantonment and Hosur for local commuters.