Chandigarh railway station set for revamp at Rs 462 crore; to have airport-like terminals soon

The Rail Land Development Authority has awarded the tender for the redevelopment work which is expected to be completed in 15 months.

Chandigarh Junction railway station serves the tri-city of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, and is a part of the Northern Railway zone's Ambala division. (File)

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Chandigarh is all set to get a world-class railway station as the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has awarded the tender for its redevelopment at a cost of Rs 462 crore. The upgraded station will have state-of-the-art lobbies, food court, paid lounge and enquiry counter, besides office and retail space.

Chandigarh Junction railway station serves the tri-city of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, and is a part of the Northern Railway zone’s Ambala division. “The station will be upgraded on the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) model at an approximate cost of Rs 462 crore. The redevelopment work is expected to be completed within 15 months. The station upgradation is a lighthouse project and will be upgraded in modular concept. The tender has been awarded to M/s Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Pvt Ltd,” a statement issued by RLDA said.

RLDA vice-chairman Ved Parkash Dudeja reviewed the progress of the project on December 16 and said, “Chandigarh will soon have a world-class redeveloped railway station with passenger amenities comparable to those found in international airports. The upgraded station will not only contribute to the city’s infrastructure growth, but will also integrate the two sides of the city, providing a new terminal for the Panchkula side and a roof plaza. The redeveloped station will act like a new city centre and play an important role in the city’s overall development”.

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The primary goal of the revamp is to “provide passengers with best-in-class amenities and to improve their travel experience”, he added. The redeveloped station will have separate arrival and departure areas. “A 72-metre-wide roof plaza is being provided over the platforms with a food plaza and retail shops where passengers can wait for their trains in a comfortable ambience. Two foot-overbridges (FOBs) will also be built to ensure smooth passenger movement. The redeveloped railway station will be integrated with other modes of transportation wherever possible and will be upgraded to a unifying grid system to ensure structural modularity,” Dudeja said.

RLDA is a statutory authority within the Ministry of Railways responsible for railway land development. Its development strategy has four key mandates – commercial leasing of sites, colony redevelopment, station redevelopment and setting up multi-functional complexes. During the current financial year, RLDA has leased out 15 sites – which are situated at Bangalore and Raichur (Karnataka), Liluah and Salt Golah (Howrah), Nizamabad (Telangana), Waltax Road and Egmore (Chennai), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Ludhiana (Punjab), Abu Road (Rajasthan), Bhusawal and Solapur (Maharashtra), Bareilly, Varanasi and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh – for a cumulative lease premium of Rs 1,633 crore. Besides, railway assets valuing approximately Rs 226 crore shall be developed in Bengaluru, Bhopal, Egmore in Chennai, Bareilly and in Ludhiana railway colonies.

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Chandigarh railway station