Title - Proposed subway at Mysore station yet to become a reality

Will the proposed subway at the Mysore Railway Station connecting all platforms become a reality in the near future?

This question is doing the rounds among stakeholders as there are no signs of commencement of work despite repeated assurances.

The issue assumes significance in the wake of the accident in Bihar where several people were mowed down by a running train on Monday.

The passengers were crossing the track in the absence of a foot-over-bridge or subway when the train came speeding in, resulting in the tragedy.

Subway connecting all platforms in Mysore station was mooted as early as in 2007 and was considered to be imperative to dissuade the dangerous practice of passengers moving from one platform to another by crossing the railway track. A practice that continues unabated even today and is fraught with risk as it endangers life, as evident in the Monday’s train accident.

Sources in the railways told The Hindu that the subway costing Rs. 6.04 crore had been approved by the Railway Board and once completed it would connect all six platforms.

But the stakeholders are wondering whether the project will materialise, given the delay in commencement of work.

What is intriguing is that the Railway Board too has dispersed only a small portion of the amount for the project.

While the subway project costs Rs. 6.04 crore, the Railway Board has sanctioned Rs. 1 crore for the current year and Rs. 1.5 crore for the next financial year.

At this rate, it is anybody’s guess as to how many years it will take for the subway to materialise.

Though all six platforms of Mysore station are connected by a foot-overbridge, passengers have repeatedly complained that its height dissuaded a majority of them from opting for it. With a vertical height of 6.5 m, passengers with luggage find it hard to use the steps given the steep inclination of the stairs.