BIAL halt station lying unused despite track electrification

By Nischith N. | NT

Bengaluru: It has been more than a year since trains operating to BIAL halt station near Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL) were withdrawn on grounds of low patronage and till today the station continues to remain unused.

Though electrification of the track between Yelahanka and Devanahalli has been completed, South Western Railways (SWR) have not been operating any trains to BIAL halt station because it has still not got Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTCL) clearance.

According to the recent reports, KPTCL’s HV transmission line crosses this track and due to electromagnetic interference from this power line, it could affect the running of MEMU trains.

“After the pandemic, SWR began electrification of the 24-km long Yelahanka- Devanahalli track and completed this about a month ago. It also obtained CRS Clearance to run MEMU Trains. We thought trains to Halt Station will start running. We had also sent three letters to DRM, SWR highlighting how the earlier services failed on account of inappropriate timings, frequency, routes as well as travel duration. We requested for MEMU train services, preferably as per requirements from BIAL initially,” said Rajkumar Dugar, Commuter forums.

Commuters want the SWR to operate only MEMU trains, as electric trains have several advantages over the traditional Diesel Engine trains.

“Earlier SWR operated trains without consulting BIAL. Now they have submitted their requirements. Metro as well as Suburban Rail to Airport Terminal will take a few years to become functional. So it is in the interests of Bengaluru to have a quick solution to this matter so that MEMU trains to Airport can become a practical option.

As concerned citizens, I request SWR to ensure that this technical issue with KPTCL is solved at the earliest,” Dugar further added.

The halt station located 3.5km from the terminal was built by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) at a cost of around Rs 3 crore and aimed at benefiting 28,000 airport employees as well as passengers.

BIAL also operated free shuttle bus services between the station and terminal. The train ticket fare is between Rs 10 and Rs 15.

The activists point out that the routes, timings, frequency, travel duration of the Halt Station bound trains were inconvenient and doomed to fail.

At present the passenger and cargo movement to Bengaluru Airport is 100% dependent on roads.