Trains arriving at Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Bengaluru railway station are forced to wait outside for 20 to 45 minutes due to a shortage of platforms. As the number of trains connecting to the city increases daily, the existing infrastructure at major stations cannot accommodate the volume, resulting in significant delays at outer signals and nearby stations.
Trains from the Mysuru division arriving at KSR Bengaluru wait at the outer signal near Bennimall or at Kengeri station. Those coming from the Yeshwanthpur direction are held at Malleshwara station, while trains from the Cantonment side stop at the outer signal near Shivanna Circle. These trains only proceed once a message is received indicating that a track at KSR Bengaluru is available. Similar track issues plague Yeshwanthpur station, where trains from Tumakuru and Hassan wait 30 to 45 minutes at Chikbanavar. If a train is already waiting at Chikbanavar, subsequent trains are stopped at Gollahalli station.
Trains from Salem, Hosur, or Byappanahalli are halted at Banaswadi and Brigade Gate, while those from Dharmavaram are stopped at Doddaballapur station until a platform is cleared. Trains from Hosur on the single track are held for long periods at Karmelaram station to allow other express trains to pass, and those from Chennai and Jolarpetai wait at Krishnarajapuram outer before entering SMVT station. South Western Railway officials stated that KSR Bengaluru handles over 200 trains daily, and due to crossing tracks and constant platform occupancy, holding trains at outer signals is unavoidable.
To address these issues, South Western Railway is implementing yard remodeling and an automatic signaling system. A separate track for freight trains has been constructed at KSR Bengaluru, and the length of the seventh platform has been extended to accommodate express trains with more coaches. Additionally, as part of the four-path project between Cantonment and Whitefield, the Bengaluru East station in Fraser Town has been renovated and reactivated. Three additional railway tracks and four new platforms are currently under construction at Cantonment station.
Passengers have shared their experiences with these delays. Annapoorana, a passenger on the Golgumbaz Express from Hubballi, stated that her train was stopped for 40 minutes at Gollahalli and another 20 minutes at Chikbanavar, resulting in a total wait of one hour before reaching Yeshwanthpur. Vidya, traveling from Kannur in Kerala with her children, said her train was stopped at Banaswadi station. After waiting and becoming tired, she and her family took an auto-rickshaw to their home in Sanjaynagar, arriving before the train reached Yeshwanthpur, thus avoiding further wasted time.
