Chandigarh railway station contributes 40% to parking revenue of Ambala division
The total parking revenue of Ambala division of northern railways has increased from ₹1.4 crore in 2021-22 to ₹5.16 crore and Chandigarh railway station contributed ₹2.09 out of those
The Ambala Division of the Northern Railways has earned ₹2.09 crore as parking revenue from Chandigarh railway station, almost 40% of its total parking revenue in fiscal year 2022-23. The figures were shared by divisional railway manager Mandeep Singh Bhatia.
The total parking revenue has increased from ₹1.4 crore in 2021-22 to ₹5.16 crore–the highest ever– in 2022-23, a 266% increase.
Officials said the division took over the day-to-day affairs of the Chandigarh station from Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) on April 1, 2022. The IRSDC was looking after the management and redevelopment of the station since March 2019. In October 21, the board decided to shut operations of the corporation and hand over the works to respective zonal railway divisions.
While the management was taken over by Ambala division, the redevelopment of the station was given to Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA).
In September 2022, the division awarded the tender for a new parking system, often dubbed as “Pick and Drop” service, at ₹11.15 crore for a five-year period. The new system provided private vehicles with a six-minute access to pick-and-drop lanes for free. It was later increased to 10 minutes.
There are different rates for commercial and non-commercial vehicles, depending on their stay in the three designated lanes at the station.
‘Redevelopment work at full swing’
Bhatia said the redevelopment work to make Chandigarh station “world-class” is underway is expected to be completed by April next year.
The RLDA had awarded the tender of this ₹462 crore project to Ahluwalia Contracts Private Limited to redevelop the station on an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) model.
In the first phase, the construction underway on the Panchkula-side and measures have been taken to avoid inconvenience to the passengers, an official privy with the developments said.
The revamp will include separate arrival and departure areas, a food court, state-of-the-art lobbies, paid lounge, enquiry counter and two state-of-the-art foot-overbridges, among other facilities.
