Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 11: In a major move to decongest Bengaluru’s overcrowded railway network, the Ministry of Railways has approved a Final Location Survey (FLS) for a proposed Mega Coaching Terminal near Devanahalli. The survey, estimated at Rs 1.35 crore, will cover the Yelahanka-Devanahalli-Chikkaballapur corridor and aims to identify a suitable location for what could become the city's fourth major terminal.

Bengaluru, India's fifth-largest metro, currently operates with just three terminals KSR Bengaluru, Yeshwanthpur, and SMVT Bengaluru supported by 12 pit lines. These handle an enormous volume of daily train traffic, with 140 originating, 139 terminating, and 142 pass-through trains, alongside 110 primary maintenance trains. The city's terminals are already stretched thin, facing a projected footfall of over 212 million and 210 originating trains per day by 2024-25.

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With limited space for expansion within the city’s core due to urban congestion, the new terminal is expected to bring much-needed relief. The planned facility is set to include 12 pit lines, 24 stabling lines, five washing lines, six heavy repair bay lines, two pit wheel lathe lines, and six sick lines. Additional infrastructure such as loco bays, administrative offices, stores, and a 50-tonne boot laundry will support seamless operations.

The proposed terminal will not only ease pressure on existing infrastructure but also improve the efficiency of train movement by reducing the number of empty rakes running across the city.