Travel to Bengaluru airport from the city railway station for ₹30

If all goes as planned, air passengers and employees working at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will soon be able to travel from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna City Railway Station to the airport.

What’s more, the ticket will be priced at just ₹30. South Western Railways (SWR) is planning to introduce express train services to KIA, once the Central government allows the resumption of services. Ongoing construction work of the halt station on the boundary of the airport is likely to be completed by September.

E. Vijaya, Chief PRO of SWR, told The Hindu that the service to the airport will be prioritized once operations are allowed to resume. “There is a plan to introduce an express train service from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna station to the airport during peak hours. The timings will be finalized after consulting with Bangalore International Airport Limited.”

Time and money saved

The express train will be operated via Yeshwantpur and the travel time will be around 30 to 35 minutes. The distance between Majestic and KIA is around 35 km. This will come as a relief to commuters. During peak hours it takes more than an hour to reach the airport by road, and people are saddled with a huge fare at the end of the journey.

Currently, a passenger wishing to travel to KIA from Majestic has to pay as much as ₹235 for a ticket on BMTC’s Vayu Vajra.

Operating a train service to the airport has been a long-pending demand. For over a decade, a majority of air passengers and employees have been relying on taxis and private modes of transport to travel to the airport. After persistent demands, the authorities decided to build the halt station in Yelahanka–Kolar section. Hundreds of people in Bengaluru Rural and Kolar districts, who commute to the airport campus every day, will benefit.

Yelahanka to KIA for ₹10

Ms. Vijaya said already six scheduled trains from Yelahanka to Kolar will have a stop at the new halt station. It will cost only ₹10 to travel from Yelahanka to KIA once the services become operational.

The new halt station is located between Devanahalli and Dodajala stations. “Work is likely to be completed by September 20. BIAL is building the station at a cost of ₹3 crore, and it will have all the basic amenities,” she said.

BIAL has agreed to provide a shuttle service for the air passengers from the station to the airport and it will take eight minutes to reach the airport terminal from the point. “The service is also expected to help a large number of employees working inside the airport campus that include in cargo and other sectors,” said Ms. Vijaya.