Srirangapatna railway platform to be widened

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The translocation of the 18th century armoury at Srirangapatana will bring about changes to the town’s railway station. It will not have a station master to officiate as the signalling and communications will be automatically controlled from Pandavapura and Naganahalli, which will be the block section on the stretch.

Only commercial staff will be present, and they will have no role in operational matters. Besides, the new alignment of the double line track, which will be laid once the monument is relocated, is a few meters ahead of the existing platform.

So the existing platform will be widened to that extent, said an official in the construction wing of the Railways. He said there was a proposal to have a new station building, but neither can the existing station be abandoned nor is there a better approach road for the new station.

Hence, it has been thought ideal to expand the existing platform. As a result, a station where very few trains stop and the originating passenger traffic is very low will have one of the widest platforms for a station of its size.