BENGALURU: The construction of KIA Halt Station’, 4.5km from the airport terminal, will be fully functional by April 10 .A joint inspection of the ongoing works at the station was carried out a couple of days ago by Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) representatives and senior railway officials. “This gave us a fair picture of the ongoing works. BIAL told us that the station will be ready only by April 10. We have rescheduled the originally proposed deadline of February-end to stopp trains at the KIA station,” a highly-placed source said.
The KIA station on the Yelahanka-Chikkaballapur line is being constructed between Yelahanka and Devanahalli railway stations. BIAL will provide a direct shuttle bus service from the bus point that is getting ready here to the airport, he said. The Railways gave in-principle approval to BIAL on June 17, 2019 to go ahead with the construction of the halt station with a platform. It was supposed to be in place by December 2019.
“BIAL is yet to complete laying granite on the platform. The approach road too is getting ready. Space for shuttle buses to pick up passengers from here is being created, while amenities for passengers, including ticket counters, are yet to be ready,” the source said. The Bangalore division had already cleared two pairs of trains presently running along the Kolar-Yelahanka line and one pair operating between Whitefield and Kolar to halt here. “More trains will be added in future, based on public demand,” another source said. “Once the suburban terminal at the Cantonment railway station, for which tenders are being finalised, is ready, at least six pairs of trains can be run every day from there,” he said. The Railways is providing land for the station, while BIAL is carrying out the construction which costs around Rs 3 crore. Railways will collect the ticket revenue, another official said.