Amritsar railway station to undergo massive makeover

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, MARCH 19

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal’s announcement of allocation of Rs232 crore for the Amritsar railway station has given hope to early commencement of another phase of development.

Already, its infrastructure augmentation was carried out with Rs500 crore during the past five years.

Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Malik, former member of the Parliamentary Committee for the Railways, informed that this sum would be used for adding five more platforms. Now, the Railways has decided to double the number of platforms from six (1, 1-A, 2, 3, 4, 5) to 12.

What’s in the offing?

On the anvil will be setting up of a five-star and another three-star hotel, a shopping mall, a multi-storey parking lot and another multi-storey administrative complex would be raised. All these projects would be developed under the PPP project.

Residential quarters of the railway employees, situated opposite the Gol Bagh, will be demolished besides vacant and occupied land of the railway station will be utilised to raise airport-like infrastructure.

Now, the Railways has decided to double the number of platforms from six (1, 1-A, 2, 3, 4, 5) to 12

With cases rising, prices of ticket also go up

The Northern Railways’ Ferozepur Division has increased the platform ticket from Rs10 to Rs50 per passenger. In a release issued here on Friday, Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Aggarwal said it was a pre-emptive move taken in the backdrop of the surge in the Covid cases in the region, indicating possible second wave. He informed that platform tickets were issued through the unreserved ticket system and online mobile app.

He stated that it was one of the many instalments to be released for elevating its infrastructure. “Instalments will keep coming after submission of utilisation certificate.”

On the anvil will be setting up of a five-star and another three-star hotel, a shopping mall, a multi-storey parking lot and another multi-storey administrative complex would be raised. All these projects would be developed under the PPP project.

Malik said there will be no commercial outlet on the platforms. “All commercial activities would be shifted on the mall above the platforms,” he added.

For this, residential quarters of the railway employees, situated opposite the Gol Bagh, will be demolished besides vacant and occupied land of the railway station will be utilised to raise airport-like infrastructure.

The Amritsar railway station has undergone paradigm shift for nearly five years. It was for the first time in over 160-year long history of the railway station that the two platforms were added. Besides, the number of washing lines were raised from one to seven which included four at the Chheharta railway station, situated less than 5 km from the local station, now, this 5 km stretch is being electrified.

These two steps ended the long-time complaint of trains being unnecessarily halted on the city’s outskirts, awaiting clearance from the local railway authorities.

In addition, two more escalators, LED screens, granite floor of reception and platform No.1, besides kota stone and interlocking tiles were laid elsewhere. Five lifts were also installed.

Retiring rooms, a waiting hall, a parcel room, one MW solar rooftop panels were installed to to illuminate the station. A railway overbridge (ROB) was constructed and another super ROB is under-construction.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.