The Hindu : Front Page : All major railway stations in Delhi to get new look

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 07, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

All major railway stations in Delhi to get new look

Sandeep Joshi

An artist's impression of the Ajmeri Gate side of New Delhi station

NEW DELHI: It is not just the Delhi airport that is all set for a major overhaul, Northern Railway too has drawn up ambitious plans to bring about sweeping changes in railway infrastructure, giving all its major railway stations a brand new look well ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games here.

Major renovation work has started at New Delhi railway station, while work at the upcoming Anand Vihar terminus in East Delhi is also going on in full swing. Similarly, it has been decided to give Nizamuddin station an entirely new look, while Old Delhi station housed in a heritage building will be decongested for its proper preservation.

New Delhi station will be converted into a "world class" facility. From a single platform earning Rs.1 lakh per day in 1956 to 12 platforms and Rs.65 lakh earning every day now, it is one of the busiest railway stations in the country handling around five lakh passengers each day during peak hours.

Northern Railway will not only add four new platforms here but is also constructing a modern station building at Ajmeri Gate-side to meet passenger requirements and add more comfort to their journey. The new Rs.7-crore building will be equipped with elevators and escalators and have state-of-the-art facilities including food plaza, additional dormitories and air-conditioned retiring rooms.

Apart from a new reservation complex, current booking counters and technical areas, the new building will also house other facilities including foreign exchange counters, ATMs, touch-screen inquiry system, modern washrooms, cloak rooms and special waiting halls for handicapped people.

It will also have coach guidance system and coach indication boards along with separate arrival and departure areas for speedy entry and exit, ensuring proper segregation of passengers and making the station congestion-free. "With the passenger traffic growing at 10 per cent every year, we hope all these additional facilities will make travel comfortable for passengers," said Rajiv Saxena, Northern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer.

Similarly, development work is also in progress at Nizamuddin station that mainly caters to those travelling West, South and South-East India. Apart from developing a second entry to the station at Sarai Kale Khan side and increasing the number of foot over-bridges, an additional floor is being added to the main station building to augment the number of waiting halls.

Besides two air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned waiting rooms each, it will also have a VIP lounge and a tourist information system. Other facilities like elevators and escalators, ATMs and foreign exchange bureau, modern signages and public utilities will also be provided.

From 2008 onwards, all East-bound passengers will have to go to Anand Vihar in trans-Yamuna area to catch their trains where a modern railway passenger terminus is being built in 42 hectares at a cost of Rs.85 crores.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section