Cantonment Railway Station in Bengaluru to get two-phase makeover

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BENGALURU: One of the oldest railways stations in the South Western Railway (SWR) network, Bengaluru Cantonment, is undergoing a substantive makeover in order to cater to the increased transportation needs of the Silicon City, a statement by the Indian Railways informed.

The project is being executed on EPC (Engineering-Procurement-Construction) mode, i.e., on turnkey basis. Thus, a single agency is responsible for planning, procurement and execution of all the aspects of the project. The targeted date of completion is 36 months. The Letter of Authorisation (LoA) has been awarded in favour of Varindera Construction Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, on December 12.

In the first phase, the yard of the Bengaluru Cantonment station is being remodelled at a cost of Rs 45 crore, two additional island platforms are being constructed (effectively four additional platforms will come up) and three additional lines which will enable the operation of increased number of trains from/to the station and reduce the stress on KSR Bengaluru City Railway Station. The remodelled yard will be integrated with the quadrupled section between Bengaluru Cantt and Whitefield. The yard will also be integrated with the suburban railway network for the facilitation of seamless mass transportation.

Further, a foot-overbridge is being constructed which will connect Borebank Road to Netaji Road for the convenience of passengers. The remodelling of the Bengaluru Cantt railway yard is targeted to be completed by February 2023.

In the second phase, the station building will be redeveloped, making Bengaluru Cantt a world-class airport-like terminal, at a cost of Rs 480 crore. In line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the station will be redeveloped as a ‘City Centre’ wherein, apart from the activity of transportation, the space will be abuzz with commercial activities 24×7.

The upcoming structure will conserve the existing heritage elements of the historic building. The architectural elevation attempts to capture the spirit of Bengaluru, the start-up capital of India, which breathes technology without compromising the elements that make up its history, essence and heritage.

The facade will depict concepts like sine-waves of the roof to signify the concept of motion/progress with the aid of technology (Bengaluru as the silicon city of India serves as a catalyst of progress/development of the nation), the pillars supporting the roof have the shape of a flower at the location where they join the roof, signifying Bengaluru as the ‘garden city’.

Further, the horizontal structure linking different pillars are in the shape of a flute, depicting ‘harmony’ — a harmonious blend of technology in the garden city, or the harmonious blend of growth along with the concept of preserving the beauty of the garden city.

The Cantt Station Road is being shifted away from the station to improve the space for movement of traffic in front of the station, and widened from 15 mt to 24 mt in close collaboration with the BBMP. The widened and diverted road will to cater to the increase in road traffic in the days to come, as the number of trains will increase with additional platforms and the introduction of suburban train services.

Th station started operations in 1860s with the commencement of railway services on the Bengaluru Cantt-Jolarpettai line. After more than 150 years, the redeveloped building will emerge as an icon of urban Bengaluru. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the station on June 20, 2020. (ANI)

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