Pandemic sets back Chandigarh railway station makeover project by a year
The station was to get a world-class makeover by the end of 2021 but authorities say they are now planning to finish the work by December 2022
The Chandigarh railway station makeover project is set to be delayed by almost a year as no work has been done for the last six months due to the pandemic outbreak, railway authorities confirmed on Friday.
The station was to get a world-class makeover by the end of 2021 but authorities say they are now planning to finish the work by December 2022.
During an online interaction, Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC)’s representative to Chandigarh, Balbir Singh, said, “The work has been stalled due to the pandemic. We are hopeful that the work is likely to begin between October and December. It will take two years to finish once it is started, so by December 2022, the makeover of Chandigarh railway station is likely to be finished.”
The Rs 136-crore project was awarded to Ludhiana-based Deepak Builders and Engineers Pvt Ltd on October 30, 2019, under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Under this, the station will be beautified and developed from both sides-- Chandigarh and Panchkula.
An ‘air concourse’, on the lines of airport terminals, will also be developed for all six platforms with facilities such as a VIP waiting room, a coffee house, ATM machines, etc. Subways will be put in place to segregate passenger flow and prevent chaos at the station. The station will also have new lights, four new lifts, twelve escalators, baggage scanners and bottle crushing machines.
Although a delay is expected, DRM Gurinder Mohan Singh assured that all the facilities that were listed in the earlier contract will still be provided.
More CCTVs to come up
With the expansion of the railway station, more closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras are likely to come up at the station for better safety. Currently, 35 CCTV cameras are installed at the station but their recordings are of poor quality as per sources. DRM Gurinder Mohan Singh confirmed that by the next financial year, the station will have 80 to 100 cameras in all. “Right now, since many trains aren’t working, installation of CCTV cameras will be done by the next financial year, after services have normalised.”
The DRM added that during the lockdown, the Ambala division had achieved additional 23 rakes of vehicle loading from Chandigarh railway station. During the lockdown, upto July, the division had been able to increase the revenue from Rs 829.92 crore last year to Rs 944.52 crore this year while they were able to reduce their expenditure upto July from Rs 610.36 crore last year to Rs 530.25 crore this year. As many as 144 Shramik Special trains were run by the division during the lockdown.