Work on new Rly. terminus to start in a month

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JUNE 10. Work on a new railway terminus for Bangalore in Yeswanthpur will start in a month and the first phase will be completed by January 1 next year, the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Mr. Ananth Kumar, announced here on Sunday.

Inaugurating the computerised passenger reservation centre in Jayanagar, Mr. Ananth Kumar said the Union Government had earmarked Rs.16 crores for the Yeswanthpur railway project last year, of which Rs.3.5 crores had been released.

He said the City's growing population demanded an additional terminus besides the existing K.R.Puram one.

Stressing the need for a metro rail system in Bangalore, he said a RITES survey had revealed that the proposed project could be completed with Rs.900 crores with equal contribution from the State Government, the Union Government and the Railways. The project could be commissioned in five years, he said quoting the survey.

Mr. Ananth Kumar said he would soon hold a meeting with the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.,Krishna and the Railway Ministry officials to discuss the issue further. Once completed, the metro rail would ease the traffic from Bangalore roads by about 50 per cent, he noted.

He said Bangalore city occupied a prominent place in the country's railway map. The City's railway infrastructure had improved in the last few years, he noted.

In 1996, there were only 30 railway counters in Bangalore. Now it had increased to 68. The Rajdhani Express, which plied only once a week earlier, now operated four times a week. The frequency would be further increased to five times a week soon. Of all Rajdhani trains currently in operation, the Bangalore-Nizamuddin Express boasted the highest occupancy of 96 per cent, he said.

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