Dhandari Kalan railway station set to get facelift by next month

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, March 4

The railway station at Dhandari Kalan, located on the Ambala-Ludhiana-Amritsar line under the Ferozepur division in Ludhiana district, will get a new look by next month, the Northern Railway has said.

The work on the major revamp and upgrade plan at the cost of Rs 17.6 crore has reached an advanced stage of completion with over 70 per cent progress already achieved, officials have confirmed.

This is the second railway station after Ludhiana city in the state’s biggest and largest district, in terms of area and population, to be upgraded under the ‘Amrit Bharat Station Yojana’ of the railways. As many as 508 junctions have been covered under the ambitious scheme for remodelling and redevelopment across the country, the officials have said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the major upgrade projects of the Ludhiana and Dhandari Kalan railway stations among others in the country on August 6 last year through video conferencing.

Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana, Sanjeev Arora, who reviewed the progress of the project here recently, told The Tribune, on Monday that a host of facilities and amenities would be introduced and upgraded at the Dhandari Kalan railway station under the plan being undertaken by the railway authorities.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member in the Upper House of Parliament from Punjab was briefed by the railway authorities that the ongoing work had already achieved 70 per cent physical progress and 68 per cent financial progress with the targeted date of completion fixed as April.

Arora was told that the major passenger amenities to be provided included a 12-metre-wide foot overbridge with 775-sq m façade ramp, a 200-sq m general waiting hall, a 110-sq m air-conditioned waiting room, a 110-sq m executive lounge and a 160-sq m entry porch.

Besides, a 1,838-sq m circular area, three passenger platforms — each measuring 8,150 sq m, 1,350 sq m, and 850 sq m, 90-sq m toilet block, 990-sq m parking lot, including 750-sq m commercial parking area, 210-sq m green area, five booking enquiry windows, 300-sq m parcel shed, 400-sq m future commercial development area and improved signage as per the CSTM station will also be provided.

The project also entails a baby feed room spanning 10 sq m, two kiosks and a ceremonial flag.

The Non-Suburban Grade (NSG)-5 category station, Dhandari Kalan caters to 10 trains with an average of 200 passengers that halt here daily on the existing three platforms.

Located on National Highway-44, the Dhandari Kalan station is one of the busiest junctions in Ludhiana and serves as a major transportation hub for both passengers and goods, connecting Ludhiana with the rest of the country.

The station offers a wide range of facilities for the convenience of passengers. Besides a separate platform for long-distance trains, at present, it has two platforms for different trains that halt and pass through the station.

Besides Dhandari Kalan and Ludhiana, the Kotkapura railway station in Faridkot has been approved for revamp at the cost of Rs 23.7 crore, Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib at Rs 25.1 crore, Ferozepur Cantonment at Rs 27.6 crore, Abohar in Ferozepur at Rs 21.1 crore, Mansa at Rs 26 crore, Mohali at Rs 23.2 crore and Patiala railway station will be upgraded at the cost of Rs 47.5 crore.

MP’s push

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora had been demanding the upgrade of Ludhiana and Dhandari Kalan railway stations outside and inside the Parliament. “Ludhiana being an industrial hub where thousands of commuters add up a major chunk of workforce that rely on railway services for commuting,” said Arora, who had been demanding to upgrade the stations while also seeking new Shatabdi trains and adding new bogies to existing trains.

Know the scheme

The Amrit Bharat Station scheme has a long-term vision for the ongoing development of railway stations. It involves creating master plans and executing them in phases to enhance various station facilities, including better station accessibility, waiting areas, toilet facilities, cleanliness, offering free Wi-Fi, setting up kiosks for local products, one station, one product, enhanced passenger information system, establishing executive lounges, landscaping and catering and special facilities for differently abled.

Furthermore, the scheme emphasises on upgrading station structures, integrating stations with surrounding city areas on both sides, promoting multimodal connectivity, providing facilities for individuals with disabilities, implementing sustainable and eco-friendly solutions, when required, and considering the feasibility and phasing of improvements. The ultimate goal is to transform these stations into vibrant city centres over long term.

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