BENGALURU: The South Western Railways has taken up automatic signalling work between KSR Bengaluru (City Railway Station) and Cantonment starting Thursday that is expected to continue till Friday.
Officials say work on this section will lead to cancellation of 10 trains connecting KSR Bengaluru to nearby towns like Kolar, Tumakuru and Whitefield. In addition, many interstate trains have also been partially cancelled. They said work may also be extended beyond Friday if required.
Railway officials said the inconvenience caused to passengers will be minimal with Thursday being a national holiday on account of Independence Day.
”As we have received a request from commuters, it is important to reduce travel time. It will immensely benefit daily commuters who travel for work towards Whitefield, Tumakuru and other nearby cities," a SWR official told DC.
The official also pointed out that the automatic signalling train movement can be controlled up to 2 km, thereby increasing the line capacity by at least five times.
The Bengaluru division of the South Western Railways had in recent years sent a proposal to the railway minister to implement an automatic signalling system in five sections of the division including Bengaluru-Mandya. After much delay, the proposal has got a green signal. Now, work on this section will be taken up after the automatic signalling work is completed for Bengaluru Cantonment-Baiyyappanahalli stations.
With the government proposing a special purpose vehicle for the Bengaluru suburban rail network in the Union Budget, the SWR has finally recognized the importance of the network.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Santosh S, a regular commuter says "As the Railways have already announced that automatic signals will be installed between Bengaluru to Mandya, rail users have taken to twitter to start a campaign demanding extension of the system till Mysuru. They feel the automatic signalling system will reduce the operation and running time of trains between the two cities. It is good to hear about the automatic signalling between KSR Bengaluru and Bengaluru Cantonment section."
