Here’s good news for passengers the using Visakhapatnam railway station. The long-awaited escalators are scheduled to start functioning from Ugadi (March 31).
The escalators have been installed after removing the staircases on island Platforms 2/3 and 4/5, which connect the central foot over-bridge (FOB). Though it was initially planned to have the escalators on PF-1 and PF-8, the plan was reportedly changed in view of space constraints on PF-1. Besides, the wide ramp type FOB on the south-side of the station, which connects all the platforms, has increased the importance of having the escalators on the island platforms.
“Two escalators have been sanctioned for Visakhapatnam railway station and they will be inaugurated on Ugadi Day. Passengers can use the escalators only to go up the FOB, for the present. This is because erecting the other escalators for going down will result in congestion on the platforms and hinder the movement of passengers on the platforms,” Divisional Railway Manager Anil Kumar said.
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“The work on the escalators is almost complete. The roof cover will be laid in a few days. The erection of escalators on PF-1 and PF-8 will lead to congestion. Besides, the wide ramp-type FOB and availability of two battery-operated vehicles, eliminates the need for escalators on PF-1 and PF-8,” Senior Divisional Commercial Manager M. Yelvender Yadav said.
Further, important originating trains are usually taken on PF-1 and PF-8 and those passengers will not need an escalator. The island platforms 2/3 and 4/5 are used to take important through trains that stop for around 30 minutes and passengers are always in a hurry to catch them.