Going to and from the airport is a big hassle considering the massive traffic jams in Bengaluru and most people end up missing the flight. Most people prefer cabs or buses to ply to the airport. The Vayu Vajra airport buses cost about Rs. 240 from Koramangala, Rs. 210 from Cunningham road,  Rs 180 from Mekhri Circle, etc, while cab services charge an exorbitant sum starting from Rs. 800-1000.

Further, the time taken to reach the airport by these means is around 1-1.5 hours depending from where you start your travel, and the time of travel.

Most of us, adamantly, don’t even consider the alternate mode of transportation. Trains. Yes, trains.

The railway track runs parallel to 30 km of the Airport Road. If a stop is provided at the Toll Plaza at the Airport it would reduce lot of traffic and it is only 5 km from the Airport.

Here are a few reasons why you should:

Instead of widening roads and proposing expressways and flyovers, it would be a better solution to modify the existing system to benefit all. The rail line has a much better connectivity than the Metro and it would benefit not only the people who travel to the airport but also the airport staff and commuters who travel to work in Devanahalli and beyond. People do not have to change their residence just to be closer to their workplace.

Trains in Mumbai are called the city’s lifeline for a reason; Local trains are given priority over long distance trains and this is being followed in Mumbai, where the public transport system is used by everyone from different strata of society. Trains are the first choice of public transport. Why can't we implement such a successful system in Bengaluru, with the maximum traffic in and around outer ring roads?

 Sub Urban rail system, nicknamed Namma Railu, has the proposed lines close to the existing Devanahalli Railway Station . The government has been granted a budget for the sub urban rail project but before it is implemented, it is important to have a station at Devanahalli close to the airport (at the toll booth) when the rail lines already run parallel to the Airport road. Not only will this reduce traffic and city congestion but it will also provide revenue to the Indian Railway, not to mention the cost is 20 times lower than any other mode of transport i.e., It takes about Rs. 10-20 to reach the Airport and would be a relaxed journey than dealing with the traffic.

So far, the Kolar passenger train passes from KSR City (Majestic) to Devanahalli in about over an hour.

Bidadi to Nandi, Whitefield to Nandi, Heelalige to Nandi all passing through Devanahalli airport stop, Bangalore city railway station, Baiyappanahalli, KR Puram, Yelahanka, Yeshwantpur, Channasandra would connect most of the commuters to Electronic city and Airport. This itself would reduce a lot of the traffic on roads, especially Hebbal junction. There are a few trains that take this route. The track between Dodjala and Devanahalli stations of Chikballapur line is just about 6 km away from Airport.

The Railway needs to work in sync with the BMTC to bring in feeder buses plying to and from the BIAL Airport. This will facilitate easy and frequent commute to and from the Airport and the Devanahalli train station.

Currently the commuters are less because the trains ply at odd timings. The trains to and from Devanahalli must ply during morning peak hours and evening peak hours. Starting this proposal with at least 5 trains in the morning and 5 trains in the evening would make a big difference. Then subsequently increasing it to a 24 hour service as many flights depart in the middle of the night could prove to be the saving grace required by the city’s commuters.