One of the oldest railway stations on the South Western Railway (SWR) network, the Bengaluru Cantonment, is set to get a major makeover at the cost of Rs 525 crore.
The revamp, which is being done to cater to the increased transportation needs of the city, will be executed in two phases. In the first phase, the yard of the station will be remodelled at a cost of ₹45 crores. While the work on this has started, it is scheduled to be completed by February 2023.
The remaining work in this phase, which includes the construction of two additional island platforms and three additional lines, would be completed in three years.
The remodelled yard would 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. A foot-over-bridge will also be constructed to connect Borebank Road to Netaji Road.
The second phase will see the redevelopment of the station building into a world-class airport-like terminal at a cost of ₹480 crores.
According to SWR, the station would be redeveloped as a 'City-Centre' where-in apart from the activity of transportation; the space would be abuzz with commercial activities 24 x 7.
Key features of the new building:
- The new structure would have 216-m wide air-concourse.
- Segregated arrival/departure points.
- Multi-level parking.
- Roof plaza over the platforms with earmarked space for commercial activities.
- It will also have a rain water harvesting system, energy sewage treatment plant and energy conservation systems.
- Braille Maps, ramps, lifts and subway will be provided.
Heritage of Bengaluru:
As per the railways, the new structure will conserve the existing heritage elements of the historic building. It will capture the spirit of Bengaluru as the silicon city and start-up capital of India. The facade would depict concepts like sine waves of the roof to signify the concept of motion/progress with the aid of technology.
In addition, the pillars supporting the roof will have the shape of a flower at the location where they join the roof signifying Bengaluru as the 'garden city'. The horizontal structure linking different pillars will be in the shape of a flute depicting the harmonious blend of technology in the garden city.
The project is being executed on EPC (Engineering-Procurement-Construction) mode. The letter of appointment was given to Delhi-based Varindera Construction Pvt Ltd on December 12 with the targetted date of completion being 36 months.
