After being criticised for ignoring integration and not providing easy access points, the authorities are now planning to upgrade an existing road to four-lane to connect the newly built Baiyappanahalli railway terminal with Old Madras Road.
During a recent visit to the terminal, Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to upgrade the road.
Chief PRO of South Western Railway E. Vijaya said, “The SWR had written to the State government to provide better road access to the terminal for movement of passengers once it gets operational. During the inspection, the Chief Secretary directed the Urban Development Department to plan for upgrading the existing road to four-lane.” The terminal is getting ready for commercial operations and only a few works related to providing amenities to passengers are pending. However, the proposed four-lane road may take time to materialise as the BBMP will have to study the feasibility and acquisition of land, some of which is Defence land.
BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad told The Hindu that the project was under consideration. “The approach roads to the new station from Maruthi Seva Nagar side would also be developed or widened,” he said.
Sources in the BBMP, however, said the project may face multiple hurdles. “The Railways had asked for an 80-ft. road from Old Madras Road side to the new station. The decision has to be taken at the government level. There is Defence land in and around the area and it also involves huge land acquisition,” said a civic official.
Once the connecting road from Old Madras Road side is developed, residents from K.R. Puram, Whitefield, Marathahalli, Koramangala, and Indiranagar would immensely benefit. SWR, which is spending ₹240 crore on the project, is hoping to start passenger train services by the year-end.
SWR had missed several deadlines to open the terminal for commercial operations. Officials had claimed that the terminal would be opened by May but owing to COVID-19 and other reasons, the deadline got extended.
