Cassian Baliarsingh

The Bhubaneswar railway station will be upgraded on par with world-class airports with all modern and world-class facilities, informed Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The state’s first redeveloped station will provide an airport-like experience to the passengers with all modern facilities. A whopping Rs 308 crore will be spent in the first phase, reports said. The Railways department has decided to complete the project in 24 months.

Speaking to media persons, Vaishnaw said, “Years and years of wait will come to an end and dream of the people of Bhubaneswar and the whole of Odisha will finally turn into reality. The idea and design to redevelop Bhubaneswar railway station on par with international airports is ready. The tender process is also completed. Today, we reviewed and are planning to relocate the present railway station to another place, so that the physical construction work can begin soon.”

“I request my big brother and Odisha’s own leader Dharmendra Pradhan to come and do the ‘Bhumi Pujan’. Once the bhumi pujan is done, we will start the construction work and make Bhubaneswar airport world class,” Vaishnaw added.

Over 1.43 lakh people depend on Bhubaneswar railway station every day. So, the railway minister said that there was a need for world-class amenities and facilities at the station.

According to the upgradation plan, the station will have elevated road entrance-segregated departure & arrival, segregated arrivals fobs, air concourse with seating spaces, lounges, convenience stalls, natural light penetration above escalators to create visual contact between ground level and stairwell, clear connections from entrance to platform connections, passenger flow streams during rush hours-segregated arrival & departure, real-time passenger information, use of tactile tiles for accessibility and ease of passengers with disabilities.

East Coast Railway Chief PRO Biswajit Sahu said, “We have kept the segregated arrival and departure in different directions. No railway station has that facilities till now. It is being redeveloped in airport style. Passengers will arrive in one level and depart in another level. This will ensure smooth passage for passengers. This will also help maintain proper safety and security because only arrival passengers are usually checked.”

“We are also making efforts to develop it as green building. If not completely, a portion of the railway station will be developed as green building,” Sahu added.

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