The construction of the much-awaited Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Terminal in Bengaluru, the first centralised air-conditioned railway terminal in the country, has been completed. However, though it was slated to be inaugurated on March 15, 2021, railway officials say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in attendance for the event, which will probably be online. Officials await a date from the PM’s office for the same, AK Verma, General Manager of the South Western Railways (SWR) told TNM.
Railway officials say that the inauguration date is expected to be set at the end of April or early May. Suneet Sharma, Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board, had earlier confirmed that the Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Terminal would be inaugurated after a round of inspections is held. The station structure of the terminal consists of about 4,200 square metres of covered area, and is expected to receive daily footfall of about 50,000. The terminal has seven platforms, apart from eight stabling lines; apart from these, three pit lines enable the terminal to operate 50 trains daily. It is expected to handle 32 pairs of trains once operations begin.
AK Verma of the SWR had also mentioned that the seven platforms are 600 metres high and 15 metres wide, and the platforms of the terminal are also fully covered with platform shelters. It also has a fully air-conditioned central complex, and the terminal has been designed along the lines of the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. It also has a large parking space, which can accommodate 250 four-wheelers and 900 two-wheelers. The terminal was reportedly built on a budget of about Rs 314 crore.
Suneet Sharma of the Railway Board said that the new terminal will help decongest the other two railway terminals in Bengaluru, namely KSR Bengaluru and Yeshwantpur stations.
Earlier this month, Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had shared pictures of the new Sir M Visvesvaraya terminal on Twitter, and had also announced that the inauguration of the new terminal was planned to be held soon.
Named after one of the foremost Civil Engineers Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya, India's first centralised AC Railway terminal in Bengaluru is all set to become operational soon. pic.twitter.com/L2agyUevd1
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) March 13, 2021