Bengaluru: For railway passengers living in the neighbourhoods of south Bengaluru, the reservation office at Banashankari was the go-to spot for ticket booking. However, the office remained shut Wednesday, disappointing especially tatkal aspirants.Located on the first floor of the BDA complex in Banashankari, the office provides offline railway ticket reservation to passengers who live far away from major railway stations in the city. “Reservation office at Banashankari BDA Complex, Bengaluru, closed for 5-6 days. No update on resumption. Nearest tatkal centre ~5 km away, making access difficult,” an anxious user posted on X.When TOI visited the office, the AC tatkal section was completely locked, and while the sleeper class tatkal and common reservation counters were open, they were not operational. Under the waiting sheds rested stray dogs, hinting that the office hasn’t been used for at least some days.According to the South Western Railway (SWR), the office has not functioned for over six days due to an issue with BSNL network within the complex. “Reservation counters at Banashankari BDA complex reservation office are not working since BSNL link is down as the optical fibre cable has been cut. Restoration of the same is under progress,” an SWR official clarified.Abdul Aleem, a resident of JP Nagar, said: “There needs to be proper communication in case of such incidents, otherwise, it might cause inconvenience to many who depend on the counter.” Maintenance teams have been working in the office since Tuesday, though it was not restored till Wednesday evening.SWR expects the counters to be functional from Friday and has advised passengers to make use of the reservation office at Jayanagar. “We are actively working to resolve this issue and will keep you updated with any progress and improvements,” BSNL stated.
