Bengaluru East railway station, also known as Bangalore East railway station (station code: BNCE), is an old British-era railway station surrounded by Pottery Road, Kumaraswamy Naidu Road, Murgesha Mudaliar Road and Kenchappa Road. It is a small quaint station located in Fraser Town, Bangalore Cantonment. This station is very convenient for residents traveling towards or returning from Kolar Gold Fields or Madras. Express and Mail trains did not stop here until the 1920s. The station is now renovated with a larger platform. Adjacent to the railway station is the Bangalore East Football Grounds, which nowadays is more used for playing cricket.[1][2] Well-known cartoonist Paul Fernandes remembers as a young boy befriending train drivers at this station and getting grease for his bicycle.[3]
Bengaluru East Pūrva Beṅgaḷūru | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Pottery Road, Fraser Town, Bangalore Cantonment India | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 13°00′05″N 77°37′06″E / 13.0014050°N 77.6182165°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 915 metres (3,002 ft) | ||||||||||
| System |  Indian Railways station | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Indian Railways | ||||||||||
| Operated by | South Western Railway | ||||||||||
| Lines | Chennai Central–Bangalore City, Bangalore–Kolar Gold Fields | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||
| Connections | Fraser Town, Cox Town, Cooke Town | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Functioning | ||||||||||
| Station code | BNCE | ||||||||||
| Zone(s) | South Western Railways | ||||||||||
| Division(s) | Bangalore | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1906 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 2026 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | Yes | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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History
editAccording to the 'List of Mysore Residency records, from the year 1880–1947', the Bangalore East railway station was constructed in 1906, on the Bangalore–Madras railway line. At that time, the trains from Madras terminated at the Bangalore Cantonment railway station, in Bangalore Civil and Military Station which was controlled by the British Madras Presidency. The Bangalore City station in the Bangalore Pete (under the control of the Maharaja of Mysore), was used to connect to Mysore State.[4] The railway line has existed since starting operations in 1864, with the launch of the Bangalore Cantonment–Jolarpettai train services by the Madras Railway. The train line was broad-gauge and 149 km long, connecting the Bangalore Cantonment with Vellore district.[5]
Recent developments
editAs part of the Bengaluru Cantonment–Whitefield quadrupling project, Bengaluru East railway station underwent major redevelopment works during 2025–26. The station was temporarily closed while platforms and railway infrastructure were rebuilt. Passenger services resumed on 25 May 2026 after completion of the upgrade works. The project was undertaken to improve rail capacity and suburban rail connectivity in eastern Bengaluru.[6]
Station Layout
editThis station consists of 2 platforms and 4 tracks which are connected by foot overbridge for passengers to board the express trains and MEMUs. These platforms are built to accumulate 24-coach express trains.
| G | North Entrance Street level | Exit/Entrance & ticket counter |
| P | FOB, Side platform | P2 Doors will open on the left (Dedicated for MEMU trains) | |
| Platform 2 | Towards → Jolarpettai Junction Next Station: Baiyyappanahalli | |
| Express Lines | Towards → Jolarpettai Junction / MGR Chennai Central | |
| Express Lines | Towards ← KSR Bengaluru / Mysuru Junction | |
| Platform 1 | Towards ← KSR Bengaluru Next Station: Bengaluru Cantonment | |
| FOB, Side platform | P1 Doors will open on the left (Dedicated for MEMU trains) | ||
| G | South Entrance Street level | Exit/Entrance & ticket counter |
Gallery
editSome of this railway station pictures are shown below:-
Bangalore East railway station. The original British period stone building.
Bangalore East railway station, ticket counter. The original British period stone building.
Bangalore East football ground
Aerial view of Bangalore East railway station
Bangalore East railway station, board
Bangalore East railway station, pedestrian crossing
References
edit- ↑ Patrao, Michael (19 May 2008). "Reminisces of the Raj". No. Bangalore. Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ↑ "Bangalore East railway station". The Hindu. No. Bangalore. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ↑ Rizvi, Aliyeh (5 July 2013). "No apologies for memories here". The Hindu. No. Bangalore. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ↑ List of Mysore Residency records, from the year 1880-1947: Volume 2 of Catalogue of Records. India: Karnataka State Archives. 1973. p. 298. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ↑ R, Sunitha Rao (20 October 2011). "Bangalore Metro launch: Bangalore heard a train whistle first in 1864". No. Bangalore. Economic Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ↑ "Bengaluru East station roars back to life after massive rail makeover". The Times of India. Bengaluru. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
External links
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