Amritsar railway station redevelopment project to begin next year

There is good news for tourists from across the country and around the world who visit the city to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. The Railways’ proposed ambitious project to redevelop the city railway station with crores of rupees will begin from next year. Once completed, passengers will experience world-class facilities here.

According to the project, the Railways will provide state-of-the-art facilities at the station. Sources in the Railways stated that the reconstruction of the 162-year-old railway station under the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious Amrit Bharat Station scheme with a proposed investment of hundreds of crores is likely to commence from the next year.

Set up by the then British Indian government, some years ago upon consulting the old records of the Railways, its officials found that the railway station was built in four years from 1859 to 1862. However, the original building was demolished long ago to pave way for more platforms. Keeping in view the city’s heritage, the present building of the local railway station reflected Sikh architecture.

Amrit Bharat Station scheme envisages development of the local railway station on a continuous basis with a long term approach. It envisages raising of a glass building reminding onlookers of entering an airport instead of railway station, similar to shopping mall experience waiting area equipped with outlets of national and international food chains to be shifted to first floor, waiting halls with modern facilities, odour-free hygienic rail tracks with underground disposal network system, modern toilets, cleaning facilities, kiosks for local products under the “One station One Product” initiative, spaces for business meetings.

A total of 30 railway stations of Punjab are being upgraded in two phases and the Amritsar railway station is one of them.