Title - Hebbal railway station is a challenge to travellers - Bangalore - DNA

The Hebbal Railway station is an unofficial suburban rail for hundreds of IT professionals travelling to Electronic City. The station is also used by flower and vegetable vendorsfrom places like Salem and Hosur. The station may not have too many trains passing through, however, the four trains that stop here see hundreds of people embarking at the station. Yet, the station is in a pathetic condition.

It lacks basic amenities such as drinking water, toilets, foot overbridge and most importantly, the connectivity. Pedestrians have to walk along the track from below the Hebbal fly-over to the railway station. The route for the pedestrians reek of urine and garbage which makes it tough for them to approach the station.

“Approach to the station for people who come in from the city is the most difficult part. We face a hard time reaching the station from the main road, as it doesn’t have a proper walk lane. Nor is there a parking area for two-wheelers near the station,” said D Govindarajan, a frequent user of the trains from Hebbal.

The station also lacks an overbridge, posing serious risk to the commuters, considering that express trains that do not stop at the station, pass through at high speeds.

“It is tough for us to get to the platform on the other side of the tracks to catch a train, as there is no walk overbridge. We put our life on the line in crossing over to the other platform,” said Shridar, a passenger.

The platforms are too low, making climbing onto the trains a problem for passengers, especially the elderly, women and children and for passengers with a lot of luggage. The short length of the platform is an additional challenge to the travellers, as the trains often extend much beyond the platform.

There are no toilets for passengers waiting at the station. The only toilet at the station has been locked for the last two months ‘for maintenance’.

Although there are about 8-10 drinking water taps in the station, not one works.

Aravind Raj, the station master at the Hebbal station, admits that the lack of toilets and water facilities at the station poses a problem for many commuters.

“Hebbal does have a general water problem. No water is available here. We have brought this to the notice of the authorities, but no action has been taken,,” he said.