Anand Vihar set for Dec 21 opening

The much-delayed Anand Vihar Railway station may finally be inaugurated on December 21 by the Union Minister of Railways,Mamata Banerjee. Railway Ministry sources said the station is all set to be inaugurated on Monday. The terminal will be integrated with the Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminus and the upcoming Metro station at the site,which too is expected to be opened for the public by December-end or early January.

The station was cleared for public use by the Commissioner of Railway Safety on October 20. The hi-tech railway station will be handling East-bound trains and is expected to considerably ease the burden from the New Delhi station and reduce traffic congestion.

The cost of the project has been estimated at Rs 240 crore with the station is getting a complete hi-tech look and amenities like ATM,foreign exchange counters and a touch-screen enquiry system. As part of the first phase,three platforms and a state-of-the-art coach maintenance yard will be opened. The Railways had earlier announced two trains from the terminal to West Bengal.