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Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, March 15
Development work and revamping of amenities worth an estimated Rs 145 crore are in the pipeline to revamp the Amritsar railway station while massive expansion work worth over Rs 1,000 crore to bring it on a par with quality infrastructure will commence next year.
The decisions were outlined at a meeting Rajya Sabha member Shwait Malik held with senior railway officials headed by Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Anuj Prakash.
Malik said the development of the railway station would be carried out in two phases. The first phase will see an investment of about Rs 145 crore and the second phase will attract funds to the tune of over Rs 1,000 crore.
In the first phase, a satellite railway station will be developed at Chheharta to decongest the local railway station at an investment of Rs 61.22 crore. The project is expected to be over by the end of the year. Setting up of a mega solar plant at a cost of Rs 8 crore, installation of six water vending machines, construction of two washing lines at platform number 3 and 6 at an investment of Rs 8.77 crore, installation of four elevators and two escalators with an investment of Rs 16.29 crore are in the pipeline in the first phase.
Projects like the addition and alteration at Amritsar railway yard at an estimated cost of Rs 5.58 crore and reconstruction of Rego railway overbridge for Rs 8 crore have also been sanctioned. Setting up of the departmental mechanised laundry will also be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore. Besides, development of the local railway station will be undertaken at a cost of nearly Rs 16 crore.
Malik informed that loading and unloading of cargo from the Amritsar railway station will be shifted to Khasa railway station. It will facilitate the uninterrupted movement and handling of cargo, he said.
Once, Chheharta railway station becomes operational, all trains would come there for washing, parking and other maintenance work from the Amritsar railway station. It will offer room for the widening of operational facilities at the local railway station, paving the way for the commencement of the second phase of development at the local railway station with an infrastructure planning for the next 45 years.
The present strength of five stations would be increased to 12. All residential structures and non-operational buildings would be shifted out of the railway complex. New administrative and other buildings would be raised on the Gol Bagh side of the station with vertical structures.
DRM Anuj Prakash said the railway station would be developed as a leisure spot with beautiful landscapes all over.
He informed that state-of-the-art electronic inter-locking will replace the obsolete lever frame system to digitise the railway signalling installation to allow the safe operation of trains in the area. He added that it will bring down the waiting period of trains on the outskirts of the city.
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