Mohali railway station gets Rs 11-crore makeover

Passengers at the Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar railway station are all set for a whole new experience as it is being revamped at a cost of more than Rs 11 crore under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

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A grand new facade resembling that of a religious institution is almost ready with its pious white colour, giving a soothing feeling to visitors and passengers alike. Railway station officials said the entire front of the station has been given a new look with glass-reinforced plastic and fibre-reinforced plastic in place of routine cement and concrete structures.

The roads around the station have been relaid and proper landscaping has been done in the park. “A 12-m wide foot overbridge is in the final stages of construction and will be ready soon,” they added. A state-of-the-art station building, new platform shelters, waiting halls, passenger-friendly signages, expansion of platform surface, parking and circulating area and Divyangjan-friendly-toilets have been built.

“Since the station is named after Sahibzada Ajit Singh and most of the passengers here come from the pilgrimage point of view, it was conceptualised this way,” said an official of the Gati Shakti project.

All civil, electrical and telecommunication networks are in the final phases of completion. New furniture at the railway station costing Rs 30 lakh will be installed in the waiting halls as soon as the renovation work is over. Official said the existing length of the platform will be extended to 600 m so that passengers and staff have hassle-free boarding in express trains. Phase-7 resident Hardev Singh said, “Many tricity residents find it convenient to take train to Amritsar and come back the same day after paying obesiance at the Harmandar Sahib. It is quick, easy and comfortable rather than going by own vehicle. Once the renovation is complete, more people will prefer travelling by train from here as the connectivity from the bus stand and other areas has improved.”

“Presently, Kalka, Saharanpur and Mohali railway stations are being refurbished under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme,” officials said.