Bangalore:
A makeover awaits Yeshwantpur railway station with the South Western Railways (SWR) planning to upgrade its facilities within a year with an investment of Rs4 crore. Keeping the increased number of passengers and the upcoming Metro in mind, SWR is planning better parking facility and ticket counters at the station which sees a daily passenger traffic of over 40,000.
In collaboration with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the SWR is creating a multi-level car parking and better accessibility.
S Mani, divisional railway manager, Bangalore division, SWR, said that the multi-level parking facility along with two floors of commercial establishments would come up opposite Platform No 6. The SWR recovered three acres of land for the purpose a fortnight ago with help from the state government and BMRCL.
"The plan is ready. It will be on a public-private partnership model. Another half an acre of land on which a petrol bunk and another private unit stand, is still under litigation," said Mani.
Passengers can avail the services of a facilitation centre at Platform No 6 from mid-December, said Mani. The centre will have more inquiry and booking counters, LCD display charts and computerised booking counters. A modern food plaza, in coordination with IRCTC, will also become operational within four months.
Speaking to the media after a tour of the station on Sunday, Mani said that the facilitation centre and food plaza would come up in the present concourse area behind the booking counter on Platform No 6 The parcel counter in the centre of the platform is being shifted to end of the platform.
Mani said that attention was also being paid to improve Platform No 1. With help from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, the SWR would remove vegetable vendors and demolish old buildings in the station's vicinity to create a wider entrance, parking facility for two-wheelers and four-wheelers on a 3,000 sq metres of land, housing lounge, waiting rooms and more ticket counters.
These works will be completed within nine months. Flooring of all the platforms is being improved and toilets are coming up on four platforms. Six retiring rooms and a 12-bed dormitory are also coming up.
However, there are no plans to widen Yeshwantpur station. It would rather be integrated with the Metro due to space constraints.
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