PM Modi To Launch Redevelopment Of Bengaluru's Cantonment and Yeshwantpur Railway Station, To Inaugurate India's First Fully A/C Station At Baiyappanahalli

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today (Jun 20) lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of two important railway stations in Bengaluru city -Cantonment and Yeshwantpur Junction - to be developed at the cost of around Rs 500 crore and Rs 375 crore, respectively.

A ₹442 crore tender has already been floated by South Western Railways (SWR) to take up redevelopment of the Cantonment station on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis. Under EPC, the contractor is responsible for the project's design, procurement, construction, commissioning and handover.

The tender is likely to be awarded by August 2022, and the project is expected to be completed in 30 months.

The proposed redeveloped station will have salient features such as centralised air-conditioning, multi-level car parking, sewerage treatment plant, rainwater harvesting and solar energy. The SWR will also integrate the station with the proposed suburban rail network.

As per the proposed redevelopment plan, a new station building will come up on the main entry – Vasanthnagar side, and the second entry – Millers Road. Ticket issuing counters will be completely separated from the entrance concourse for easy flow of public and passengers. Separate pick-up and drop zones will be built to help reduce congestion. There will be a two-floor basement parking facility on both main and second entry points.

The redeveloped Cantonment Railway Station will emerge as a transport hub as three rail networks currently under construction will be integrated. Besides the existing rail network, Cantonment will have a suburban rail system and Namma Metro’s underground station nearby. The K-RIDE (Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd.) is building the Kengeri-Whitefield suburban rail network via Cantonment. Under the Namma metro phase 2, BMRCL is constructing a tunnel network from Dairy Circle to Nagawara, and the proposed Cantonment metro station is located 500-800 meters from the existing rail station.

Yeshwantpur Railway Station Redevelopment

Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Yeshwantpur Junction railway station to be developed at the cost of around Rs 375 crore.

The 130-year-old Yeshwantpur station is the second-busiest railway terminal in Bengaluru.

A Rs 330 crore Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) tender has already been floated to redevelop the station with airport-like facilities.

The redeveloped station will be a state-of-the-art centrally air-conditioned railway terminal and have segregated arrival and departure lounges. There will be modern waiting areas for passengers along with retail spaces, similar to airports.

At present, 77 passenger trains operate from Yeshwantpur and it sees a daily footfall of around 8,500.

In 2021, South Western Railway(SWR) zone completed a mini-upgradation of the Yesvantpur Railway station in Bengaluru by constructing an illuminated new entry and provisioning many other passenger amenities done as per the standards of the airport, including the circulating area illumination. The upgradation project has been undertaken at an approximate cost of around Rs. 12 crores.

Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Station Inaugration

During his visit to Bengaluru today, Prime Minister Modi will dedicate to the nation, India’s first Air Conditioned Railway Station - Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Station at Baiyappanahalli, which is developed on the lines of a modern airport.

Railways invested ₹314 crore in the terminal, which is spread over 4,200 sqm. Prominent features of the station include a fully air-conditioned lobby, seven platforms, parking space for 250 four-wheelers, 900 two-wheelers, 50 autorickshaws, and 20 cabs.

Though the infrastructure was ready in 2020, the railway terminal was not put to use on account of the Covid-19 pandemic and lack of proper road connectivity. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has launched buses to connect the terminal with every part of the city.

The terminal is in the vicinity of the Baiyappanahalli Metro Station on the Purple Line.