Connectivity issues holding up opening of Baiyappanahalli terminal

BBMP to spend ₹260 crore on road projects to link Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal at Byappanahalli

Awaiting inauguration: The newly constructed Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal at Byappanahalli in Bengaluru. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspected the air-conditioned terminal on Sunday.

The new Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal at Baiyappanahalli will be opened to the public as soon as connectivity issues are addressed, said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during his first inspection of the terminal on Sunday.

“There are small glitches in connectivity, for which the BBMP has come out with solutions. As soon as connectivity is done, train services will be started from this point,” he said.

However, no date was given for when it would become operational. The Railways had initially planned to start commercial operations in March 2021, but the launch was delayed due to the pandemic. During the inspection, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta briefed the Minister of the civic agency’s plans to build an elevated rotary flyover at Maruthi Sevanagar–IOC junction to provide access to the terminal and areas such as Kammanahalli and Banaswadi. An additional RoB has been planned at Baiyappanahalli level-crossing, next to the underconstruction RoB. The civic body will be spending ₹260 crore to build the infrastructure.

Mr. Gupta told The Hindu that the BBMP had already taken up construction of roads near the terminal. “The terminal facility is ready but road infrastructure connecting the terminal was not prepared for two to three years. Now, we are on the job to provide road access to the terminal and other points,” he said.

The civic body plans to build an elevated rotary flyover to decongest the area. “It is the first-of-its-kind project in the city,” Mr. Gupta said, adding that pending works on the Baiyappanahalli RoB would be completed as early as possible.

Defence land

The BBMP needs 5,000 sq. m of defence land for additional RoB and widening of the road. It has approached the Defence authorities seeking additional land. Completion of the Baiyappanahalli RoB, which has been pending for years, will help passengers coming from S.V. Road metro station side.

However, BBMP officials maintain that it would take 18 months to complete the project. “Connectivity to the terminal is an issue. Prior to the opening, we will provide road access to Old Madras Road and other points. Already, we have built roads opposite the terminal. Other projects such as elevated rotary flyover will be taken up in a phased manner later,” said a civic official.

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The SWR has spent ₹314 crore on the station. The terminal has capacity to deal with 30 pairs of trains and one lakh passengers per day. While inspecting the terminal, the Minister asked SWR to come out plans to generate revenue by running parcel special trains.