Five stabling lines, one platform to come up; more trains to be operated from here

By S.T. Ravikumar

Mysore/Mysuru: With the Naganahalli Satellite Railway Terminal project — at an estimated capital expenditure of Rs. 789 crore — stuck due to delay in the land acquisition process, the South Western Railway (SWR) has taken up the upgradation of Belagola (Belagula) Railway Station, on the outskirts of the city in the Mysuru-Hassan-Arasikere Section.

The upgradation will enable the SWR to augment operations to and from Mysuru that is at present handled by the City Railway Station and the Ashokapuram Railway Station. At Belagola, works are on to construct additional stabling lines (running lines) and a platform.

Due to space constraints at the Mysuru Railway Station, the South Western Railway (SWR) at present is finding it difficult to ensure the timely arrival and departure of regular and additional trains. The Station handles over 45 trains (to and fro) daily with over one lakh passengers. This constraint is affecting passenger convenience.

As such, the Belagola Station is being improved to offload at least some trains. There is a space constraint even in Ashokapuram Railway Station and residential colonies have come up around the Station leaving little scope for expansion.

At Belagola, there are no such land constraints and the land is owned by the Railways. Additional lines and a second platform are being constructed along with two stabling lines. The works will ensure smooth train traffic on both sides, paving way for timely arrival and departure of trains. Earth work and construction are under progress and the works are scheduled to be completed by July this year. Over 40 workers are undertaking the works at Belagola.

Confirming this to Star of Mysore, SWR Mysuru Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Rahul Agarwal said that the development works at Belagola began three to four months back and will be completed by July 2022.

At present, the Belagola Railway Station has three stabling lines and two more will come up taking the total to five while the City Railway Station has six stabling lines. The old station building at Belagola will be retained as a heritage structure and a new building (platform) will come up near that with all the basic amenities.

The Belagola Railway Station building was constructed in 1959 and it was built to handle the train traffic then. Every day, 14 trains pass through this station and over 50 to 60 passengers use it. Three Station Masters, three Pointmen work from here in three shifts and every day, tickets worth Rs. 1,000 are booked from Belagola.

Works to end by July

“Money for the project had been sanctioned in the past and as of now, there is no progress regarding the Naganahalli Satellite Railway Terminal which is a sanctioned project. The State Government has to acquire land and there is a delay. To ease congestion at the City Railway Station, we are developing Belagola Station and work is under progress regularly,” Agarwal said.

The estimated cost of the Belagola project is Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 crore. When asked if the                   Naganahalli project is put on the backburner due to the prolonged uncertainty, the DRM said. “It is still in the project stage and we have received no communication on putting the project on hold. After three to four months, we will take up the expansion of the Ashokapuram Railway Station too,” he added.

Sources in the Railways said that once the upgradation of Belagola Station is completed, trains going towards Hassan-Arsikere and Hubballi section will leave from Belagola along with some additional trains. There is no dearth of land at Belagola and lands belonging to defunct industries have been acquired by the District Administration which have been handed over to the Railways.

Land tangle

It may be mentioned here that the Naganahalli Satellite Terminal is critical for the long-term growth and development of the Railways and the local economy.

Though Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha has sought funds to get the project started, the main hurdle is the land which comes under the domain of the State Government.

 The SWR has already submitted the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Railway Board but unless the land is acquired by the State Government, nothing can move here. Over 165 acres of land is needed for this project and despite several requests by the SWR, the Infrastructure Development Department of Govt. of Karnataka has not responded to the request for bearing the cost of land.