KSR Railway Station or the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station is one of the main rail networks of South India that connects Bengaluru city with other major metropolitan cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai. This is undoubtedly one of the busiest railway stations and holds great importance for both national and regional travel. It is also the only railway station to be listed under NSG1.
NSG1 is the Indian railway categorisation that represents the stations receiving an annual income of over 500 crores with more than 20 million people using the services of the place. Well, that shows how much the locals and people from other places visiting Bengaluru choose to travel through KSR Railway Station. No matter the time, the place always remains more or less crowded.
Here’s everything you need to know about the history, platforms, connectivity, special services and trains frequenting the station. Read on to find out.
History and development of KSR Railway Station
The history of KSR station dates back to 1809 when the British Cantonment made Bengaluru a major military hub in South India. This established an immediate need for a transportation link between the city and Madras (now Chennai). It was in 1840 that a debate took place at the British Parliament about the proposals regarding building railway lines between Bengaluru and Madras.
Sir Mark Cubban, who was then the commissioner of Mysore and Coorg, urged the authorities to build rail links between Mysore and Madras through Bengaluru and Calicut. But, this plan was put on hold. Later, Lewin Bentham Bowring took over the role of commissioner of Mysore and received a nod for establishing the rail link. The Mysore government donated the land for the project. Initially, the rail route was meant only for military purposes, such as transporting personnel, goods and ammunition. Later on, it was made open to the public.
The train that travelled from the Cantonment was called ‘Bangalore Mail’. In 1864, it became evident that the new rail route was attracting immigrants from all over the country. There was a significant boost in trade and many potters came to settle down in the Cantonment, leading to the formation of the Pottery Town.
It was in 1951 that the Madras and Southern Maratha Railway, the Southern Indian Railway and the Mysore State Railway joined to form the Southern Railway.
Initially, the railway station was called ‘Bangalore City Railway Station’. In 2016, the name was changed to Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station, after the famous freedom fighter – Sangolli Rayanna. This was done because three stations in the city were already using the names ‘Bengaluru or Bangalore’.
Current facilities and services
KSR Railway Station has a total of 10 platforms and three entrances. There are 8 main tracks along with additional tracks for stabling and maintenance purposes.
These are some of the facilities and services that KSR Railway Station offers –
1 – Waiting halls and rooms- These are halls where you can wait till your train arrives. The station also has waiting rooms that will be reserved for you and they come with bathing facilities. These are available for men, women and senior citizens. You can also avail the services of paid AC lounges.
2 – Restrooms – The pay-and-use restrooms are available on all platforms. There are separate washrooms for men, women, senior citizens and specially-abled.
3 – Food stalls – You will find several food stalls on the platforms of KSR Railway Station. You can find everything from water bottles to cold drinks, chips to candies, samosas to idlis, beverages like tea and coffee.
4 – Digital lockers – KSR Railway Station provides the services of digital lockers so that passengers can store their belongings safely. This is a paid service and you will be charged between INR 100 to INR 150 per day.
5 – Battery-operated cars – Battery-operated cars can take you from one platform to another or from one point of the railway station to another. This is very useful for senior citizens and specially-abled citizens.
6 – Modern trolleys – There are modern luggage trolleys that you can use to transport your heavy bags from the entrance to your respective platforms.
7 – RO water plants – At regular distances, you will find RO water plants with chilled water. You will be surprised to know that the KSR Railway Station is equipped with a 10 lakh litre water purification plant and solar heaters.
8 – Child-friendly spaces – There are specific waiting areas where children can play around and have fun until their trains arrive. Also, there are specific waiting rooms for trafficked children too!
9 – Medical care – The station has first aid kits for emergency and medical care services to deal with any unforeseen emergencies. It also has tie-ups with local hospitals so that if any medical issue at a bigger scale happens, the people can be quickly transported to medical care centres with more resources and facilities.
10 – Accessibility and safety – The railway station has ramps, elevators and wheelchairs for the elderly, injured or specially-abled. Also, the entire station is under CCTV surveillance and security personnel are within your arm’s reach. You can also use the Wi-Fi facility at KSR Railway Station.
Connectivity
Platforms 1 to 7 connect to the Chennai and Salem railway lines. The trains that arrive via Yeshwantpur from Hubli-Dharwad will be stopping at platforms 8 to 10. On platforms 5 to 10, service trains depart to reach Mysore city. The railway lines between platforms 4 and 5 are used as railway yards. Platform 1 to 4 have their last stop at Bengaluru.
Here are 5 major rail lines that pass through KSR Railway Station –
- Hubli-Dharwad via Tumkur, Birur
- Salem via Dharmapuri, Mysore
- Hyderabad via Guntakal
- Chennai via Krishnarajapuram
- Bengaluru-Chennai railway line via Bangalore Cantonment
KSR Railway Station is also well-connected with the local bus routes and metro stations. KSR station is connected to the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stop and the KSRTC inter-city bus stand. They are at a walkable distance. Also, it has direct access to Bengaluru Metro or Namma Metro through Kempagownda metro station which is integrated within the KSR Railway Station.
Tourists have nothing to worry about! There are dedicated pick-up and drop points for Ola and Uber vehicles, so you can easily book yourself a ride and reach your booked hotels in Bengaluru.
The railway station also offers parking facilities. However, if you are here to drop off a friend or relative, try not to stay for long as it blocks the entrances and the authorities are never happy about it.
To park your four-wheeler for a day, you will be charged INR 400 and it is INR 80 for your two-wheeler. For taxis and private tourism vehicles, the cost is INR 25 for the first two hours followed by INR 20 for every subsequent hour. There are detector gates that register the entry time of the vehicle and calculate the payout. You can also park your bicycles here at INR 60 per day.
Train Information
Here are some of the important trains that travel from the KSR Railway Station.
| Train | Destination |
| KSR Bengaluru Mail | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak (LTT) |
| Kachiguda-Mysuru Express | Kachiguda (Hyderabad) to Mysuru Junction |
| Karnataka Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin |
| Rani Chennamma Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Sangli |
| Island Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Mangaluru |
| Chennai Shatabdi Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Chennai Egmore |
| Rajdhani Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to New Delhi |
| Lal Bagh Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Chennai Egmore |
| Chennai-Mysuru Vande Bharat Express | Chennai Egmore to Mysuru Junction |
| Mysuru Junction–MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express | Mysuru Junction to MGR Chennai Central |
| Uday Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Ernakulam |
| Brindavan Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Chennai Egmore |
| Wodeyar Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Mysuru Junction |
| Humsafar Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) |
| Duronto Express | Bengaluru City (KSR) to Kolkata |
The train timings differ for different routes. You can find the timings of specific trains on the South Western Railway’s official website. Major trains that connect Bengaluru with Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai run several times a week and some also operate daily.
The frequency of trains at KSR Railway Station is significantly high. You can expect to see trains on the platform with an average frequency of an hour. The Bengaluru-Chennai and Bengaluru-Mysuru trains grace the tracks more frequently.
Nearby Attractions
Freedom Park
The Freedom Park in Bengaluru once used to be a jail. When the state of emergency was proclaimed in 1975, many freedom fighters, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani were imprisoned within this park’s walls. You will see statues of freedom fighters and soldiers that look way too realistic! A portion of the park is also allocated for protests. The Anna Hazare fast for the enactment of the Lok Pal Bill happened at Freedom Park. Several cultural events, public gatherings and exhibitions happen here regularly.
Distance from KSR Railway Station – 2.7 kms
Entry Fee – Free
Timings – 5:00 AM to 8:30 AM; 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
The place is called the City of Gardens for a reason! Several parks in Bangalore will provide the most peaceful environment for you to relax and rejuvenate. You can book your hotels near Freedom Park, Bangalore so that you can explore the park and also commute to other interesting tourist places in the city.
Bengaluru Fort
The Bengaluru Fort is a historical tourist attraction that you must surely explore during your next Bengaluru visit. It was constructed by Kempagowda I, the chieftain of the Vijayanagara Empire and the founding father of Bengaluru. It represented the centre of his capital city. Here, you can see the Delhi gate, ancient walls, 2 bastions and the ruins left after the Britishers tried to dismantle and break the place.
Distance from KSR Railway Station – 3 kms
Entry Fee – 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Timings – INR 15 for Indians; INR 200 for foreigners
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium
Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium is a great place to visit, especially for those who like outer space and astronomical sciences. The place has a sky theatre that features shows that stimulate celestial events and provide a lot of information about the universe. The planetarium also has interactive exhibits and information displays to educate the visitors and inspire curiosity in the young minds.
Distance from KSR Railway Station – 4 kms
Entry Fee – INR 60 for adults; INR 40 for children; INR 30 for students
Timings – 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
National Gallery of Modern Art
The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is home to some of the finest artworks that inspire modern artists. It has an exclusive collection of ancient Indian art and contemporary creations. It is present in a heritage building that deserves an appreciation for its architecture and you will also sense the relief and calm as soon as you enter the green compound. NGMA hosts various cultural programs, art competitions, exhibitions and workshops with renowned artists from across the globe.
Distance from KSR Railway Station – 5.2 kms
Entry Fee – INR 20 for Indians; INR 500 for foreigners
Timings – 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Closed on Mondays
Aviation enthusiasts can also explore the HAL Aerospace Museum in Bengaluru!
Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park
This beautiful park is very famous for its fountain shows! The huge fountain is present in the middle of the park and has over 1000 nozzles that can spray water. It can form over 15 water formations with about 27 combinations to attract the visitors who stay to witness the spectacle. The music only adds to the vibrant mood. The park is well-maintained with manicured lawns and swaying trees. There are walking paths and seating areas too. This is a great place to plan a picnic or to enjoy family outings.
Distance from KSR Railway Station – 4.5 kms
Entry Fee – INR 30
Timings – 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM
Impact on real estate and economy
There are two sides to the real estate and economic scenario for the KSR Railway Station. In most of the areas that are closer to the station, the land value and residential property values have increased significantly. Many retail projects and commercial shops have also opened because locals and tourists will frequent here first and then head into the city.
However, the regions which are very close to the railway station have stable real estate rates owing to the fear of air and noise pollution. There is also the fear of vandalism and security issues because of the huge crowd that is always present at the KSR Railway Station.
You will find several hotels near Bangalore Railway Station and people prefer to stay here because of the ease of travel and connectivity with other parts of the city. The number of hotels here is only growing because of the increasing demand from guests.
It won’t be wrong to say that the real estate scene has only improved ever since the station came to exist.
Challenges and solutions
There are two major challenges that people encounter at the KSR Railway Station. The people who come to drop off their friends or loved ones often park their cars near the entrances and this blocks the pathway. Also, Uber and Ola drivers park their vehicles in front of the gates, waiting for their customers. To combat this problem, the railway authorities have decided to collect INR 25 from every vehicle that stays longer than 7 minutes at the station premises. There are detector gates to register the entry time of vehicles.
The crowd at KSR Railway Station is always overwhelming. People are rushing from one platform to another and you can hardly find any place to stand. That is why, the authorities of the Southern Railways have opened waiting halls, waiting rooms and paid lounges to keep at least a portion of the crowd away from the main platforms.
User experience and feedback
Commuters are happy with the facilities and services that KSR Railway Station offers. It connects Bengaluru with other metropolitan cities and it is fairly easy for travellers to book their tickets and catch a train to their destinations. Also, the waiting rooms, restrooms, food stalls, digital lockers, accessibility and ease of local connectivity make KSR Railway Station a hit among the masses.
KSR Railway Station can be called the critical node that makes Bengaluru’s transportation network more elaborate. It connects the city with other metropolitan cities of the country and trains also travel to regional villages and towns within Karnataka. In the future, the authorities may modernise the facilities, expand the platforms to accommodate more people and also make connectivity with other modes of transport much easier. For now, KSR Railway Station remains to be one of the main stations in the Southern Railway Network and lakhs of people use its services.
