In a major step to increase connectivity, the Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station, which is being constructed on the lines of Ram Temple, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

The inauguration of Phase I of redeveloped Ayodhya Railway Station – known as Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station — holds a special significance as it comes nearly a month ahead of the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple on January 22.

The Railway Station reflects the temple architecture of the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir of Ayodhya.

The city was under a blanket of heightened security, police said. There was a heavy security deployment outside Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station.

A large number of artisans and labourers from Ayodhya are working at fast pace to meet the deadline.

Talking to The Statesman, a local shop keeper, Arvind Kumar Gupta, said due to construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, there has been all round development and the citizens are happy.

“Roads are getting widened. The infrastructure has increased,” he said.

Meanwhile, an official at the station, said, after the inauguration of Ram Temple, the number of tourists and devotees visiting Ayodhya will increase.

The Railway Station, developed at a cost of Rs 241 crore, has world class facilities.

The New station building is a triple storied building having a footprint of 140m x 32.6m. An additional front porch of 140m x 12m is also provided over the drop-off zone to protect the passengers from adverse weather conditions.

Provision has been kept for Separate Arrival and Departure of the passengers.

Facilities includes Lifts, Escalators, food plazas, shops for puja needs, cloak room, infant care rooms etc.

Waiting halls are provided at Ground and First floor.

The Station Building will be ‘Accessible for All’ and is ‘IGBC Certified Green Station Building’.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took stock of the preparations of security arrangements before the Prime Minister’s visit.

Ayodhya: UP CM Yogi Adityanath takes a selfie after inspecting the ground where PM Modi will be holding a rally tomorrow.#YogiAdityanath #RamMandirAyodhya #TheStatesman #PMModiInAyodhya pic.twitter.com/GB4KIF4Vps

— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) December 29, 2023

Meanwhile, the speed of construction of Ram temple has been increased ahead of the inauguration next month.

The programme at Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station on Saturday will witness the Prime Minister flagging off a new category of superfast passenger trains in the country – the Amrit Bharat Express. The Amrit Bharat train is an LHB push pull train with non air-conditioned coaches. This train has locos at both ends for better acceleration. It provides improved facilities for rail passengers like beautiful and attractive designed seats, better luggage rack, mobile charging point with suitable mobile holder, LED lights, CCTV, public information system, among others. Prime Minister will also flag off six new Vande Bharat Trains.

Prime Minister will flag off two new Amrit Bharat trains viz Darbhanga-Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express and Malda Town-Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminus (Bengaluru) Amrit Bharat Express.

Prime Minister will also flag off six new Vande Bharat Trains. These include Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express; Amritsar-Delhi Vande Bharat Express; Coimbatore-Bangalore Cantt Vande Bharat Express; Mangalore-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express; Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express and Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Vande Bharat Express.

Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation three railway projects worth Rs 2300 crore to strengthen rail infrastructure in the region. The projects include the Rooma Chakeri-Chanderi third line project; Jaunpur-Tulsi Nagar, Akbarpur-Ayodhya, Sohawal-Patranga and Safdarganj-Rasauli sections of the Jaunpur-Ayodhya-Barabanki doubling project; and doubling and electrification project of the Malhaur-Daliganj railway section.

To enhance accessibility to the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir, the Prime Minister will inaugurate four newly redeveloped, widened and beautified roads in Ayodhya – Rampath, Bhaktipath, Dharampath, and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Path.