The Guntakal railway station now resembles an international airport after it has been given a major facelift with a lot of greenery and a monumental national flag pole overlooking the modified facade of the building.
As part of the redevelopment of the entire station premises, a new platform has been constructed to have a direct approach from the entrance improving the ease of accessing the train compartments for passengers coming with heavy luggage. The entire set of works executed by the South Central Railway (SCR) cost ₹11.5 crore. One of the key railway junctions in the South, it has connectivity in all directions like Mumbai (west), Secunderabad (north), Vijayawada (east), Chennai, and Bengaluru in the south.
The SCR says the station has been developed with world-class standards with an improved circulating area and elegant looks. A state-of-the-art steam locomotive model now enhances the beauty of the station, and these works have been taken up as part of the Indian Railways’ ‘Redevelopment of important Railway Stations’ project across all the zones, for providing best of its class amenities complying with green norms, according to SCR General Manager Gajanan Mallya.
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Eco-friendly features
The new station building has been provided with energy-efficient and eco-friendly features like vertical gardens, rainwater harvesting, solar panels, LED lighting, energy-efficient devices, insulation on the rooftop, and extensive use of solar lighting.
The steam loco model has been built in-house by the Diesel Loco Shed, Guntakal which is the replica of the original Steam Loco YP2204. Now an open-air amphitheater, children’s park, water fountain system, display of typographical structure titled "I Love Guntakal" made of steel, and an inverted umbrella shading with integrated rainwater harvesting, are the visible changes.
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Improvement to the existing waiting halls, new open waiting halls and disabled-friendly approaches are some of the changes carried out inside, in addition to fixing CCTVs, clocks, mobile charging points, fans, and signages.