Anand Vihar rly station all set for expansion
Two years after it was thrown open to public, the Anand Vihar mega railway terminal in east Delhi is all set for its next phase of expansion.
Two years after it was thrown open to public, the Anand Vihar mega railway terminal in east Delhi is all set for its next phase of expansion.
The 42-acre station, which took five years to complete, will have four more platforms. Currently, there are three platforms. Besides, subways connecting all platforms will be built.
And it's not only platforms and subways that are on the cards, the station will also have a mall with a dedicated food court. A new ticket reservation system will also come up.
The Northern Railway's plan to further develop the station will take almost one year to complete.
"Anand Vihar terminal has always been on our radar to be one of the modern stations of the Indian Railways. With four new platforms, Anand Vihar is all set to become one of the busiest stations in the north. All platforms will be connected by subways," said SK Budhalakoti, general manager, Northern Railways.
As the next phase of the development of Anand Vihar railway station kicks off, a one-km-long subway will be constructed to connect the new station with the local station, which falls between New Delhi and Ghaziabad rail line.
At present, to reach the local station from the main station, passengers cross the railway tracks, which is dangerous. The cost of building the subway will be shared by the Northern Railways and Delhi government, said a Railways spokesperson.
With four more platforms coming up, the number of trains touching Anand Vihar will be increased from 16 to 50. The daily average footfall is expected to be 2.5-3 lakh by 2013.
With four more platforms planned, the number will increase to seven, of which six will be island platforms — having tracks on both sides.
All east-bound trains start from Anand Vihar. "All special trains, including those running during the winters and summers and festival specials, will start from Anand Vihar in a year," Budhalakoti said, who retires as the GM of Northern Railways next week.
"With around 40 more trains coming to Anand Vihar, the number of washing lines to clean the coaches will also increase to four from two," said a Railways spokesperson.