BENGALURU: Located just 7km away from Bengaluru’s IT nerve centre Electronics City Heelalige railway station is a picture of utter neglect. It has no roof, while its toilets are always locked. In the absence of a foot overbridge (FOB), commuters are forced to put their lives at risk and hop across the tracks to reach platform No. 2.The station’s condition is shocking given that it’s a gateway to the tech corridors of Bengaluru and has enormous potential to emerge as a suburban rail hub. Prominent companies like Wipro, Infosys, Biocon, HP, HCL, Seimens, Tech Mahindra, Happiest Minds and Capgemini, and multispecialty hospitals like Narayana Health City and Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Center are in its vicinity.Trains passing through the station connect Yeshwantpur, Hebbal, Bellandur Road, Sarjapur and Electronics City with Bengaluru. If developed, the station can take vehicular pressure off Bengaluru roads and spare commuters the onerous burden of waiting at busy intersections like Silk Board Junction.Railway authorities, however, are not even willing to acknowledge the precarious and pathetic condition of Heelalige station. Their logic: ticket revenue from the station is too less to merit any investment in basic facilities.Passengers, obviously, aren’t amused. “It’s one of the most underutilized stations despite being in the IT corridor,” said Praveen Kumar , a passenger. “Many passengers, including the elderly and women, have to jump over the tracks to reach the other platform as there is no FOB. Even basic amenities like toilets, drinking water and seating arrangements for passengers are missing,” he added.During a recent protest, activists took a train from Yeshwantpur to Heelalige to prove the point that suburban rail can make a huge difference to intra-city commuting. A cab journey from Yeshwantpur to Heelalige (60km) would cost over Rs 1,000 and take two hours. But the activists covered a distance of 40 km (by train) in an hour at just Rs 10.Thousands of techies commute daily between various parts of Bengaluru and Electronics City and surrounding areas using private vehicles. The abysmally low frequency of trains along the route deters them from taking the Heelalige route to and from their workplace. In fact, South Western Railway (SWR) had suspended two pairs of newly introduced DEMU trains, which ply between Banaswadi and Hosur, from May 26 to October 25 citing track renewal.“The patronage of these trains is less since they operate during non-peak hours. They won’t be of any use if they aren’t in sync with office timings. The railways should also rope in companies to develop the station under CSR funds,” said Ashok Rao, a passenger. “It’s unsafe to reach the station in the evening as there is no lighting on the approach road,” said Priya S, another passenger.A senior railway official in Bengaluru division said revenue from the station is less. “Heelalige’s daily footfall is about 250-600 so the amenities are fewer compared to other stations. We have proposed an FOB. We had earlier appointed a parking contractor but passengers refused to pay the parking fee since the train fare is almost the same,” he said.An online petition was also started to provide a stop for express/mail trains at the station to cut down journey time to the city to board intercity trains. It would help residents in Anekal, Attibele, Bommasandra, Chandapura and Electronics City, the petition said.Needed: Safe parking zone, feeder busesThere’s no toilet facility, which makes it difficult during an emergency. As there’s no roof over the platforms, it’s inconvenient to wait for trains during the rainy season. The railways should improve the facility to attract passengers

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