Chaos at Bangalore Cantonment railway station as main entrance shut for redevelopment work

Railway officials have stated that passengers heading to board the Vande Bharat Express and other trains departing from Platforms 1A to 1E should use Terminal 1, and walk via Platform 1. Those boarding trains from other platforms are advised to use Terminal 2 on the Miller’s Road side.

Passengers at Bangalore Cantonment Railway Station in Bengaluru are facing mounting difficulties due to prolonged construction work at the main entrance on Station Road, which has led to complete chaos. Confusion over entry points, misleading signboards, and lack of support from railway officials have contributed to the woes of daily commuters and long-distance travellers.

With the main entrance cordoned off for a ₹480 crore modernisation project, the only access point is a narrow, poorly marked passage located less than 100 metres to the left of the closed gate. When The Hindu visited the spot, small printouts pasted along the road are the only indicators of the change in the entrance; most passengers are likely to miss these printouts.

“I was dropped off near the main entrance and stood there for 10 minutes trying to figure out how to enter the railway station. There was no one to guide us, not even a security guard,” said Sneha Rao, a software engineer. “An auto driver offered to take me around for ₹150, claiming that the platform was far. But once I paid and got in, he simply turned the corner and pointed to a small lane. It was all very frustrating,” she added.

Railway officials have stated that passengers heading to board the Vande Bharat Express and other trains departing from Platforms 1A to 1E should use Terminal 1, and walk via Platform 1. Those boarding trains from other platforms are advised to use Terminal 2 on the Miller’s Road side.

However, signage remains unclear, and without staff to guide passengers, confusion prevails.

The situation is worse for elderly passengers, who complain of inadequate waiting facilities.

“I came with my husband who recently had surgery. We struggled to find a bench to sit on while waiting for our train. With all the dust and noise from the construction, it’s impossible to rest,” said 68-year-old Radha Seshadri, who was travelling to Coimbatore.