Aiming to decongest station premises, authorities of Sealdah Division are exploring options to ease out the visitors flow at Sealdah station with a new entry/exit gate coupled with a subway.
The new entry ‘exit gate has been opened at Sealdah South station through the West Canal Road to enable quick dispersal of the crowd. The new gate would fulfil two purposes mainly. Passengers coming from Beliaghata Road, Shyambazar or Salt Lake would now be able proceed to Sealdah station directly from West Canal Road, avoiding the busy APC Road. It will also help reduce walking distance for passengers in reaching Sealdah station due to its strategic location. For the authorities of the divisional railway, the gate will make it convenient to manage huge crowds, particularly during rush hours and festive season, thereby reducing the risk of stampede-like situations. Moreso, it will help the Sealdah station authorities in faster evacuation of the passengers during emergency situations while providing additional surveillance points and enhanced monitoring.
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After the new entry/exit point, the divisional railway is now ready to operate one more subway for seamless connectivity between Sealdah station with Sealdah Court, B R Singh Hospital area and Metro railway network by underground passageway enabling commuters to move safely and efficiently. According to the divisional railway, opening of the subway will eliminate the need for passengers to walk through congested concourse areas of Sealdah, thereby reducing the risk of accidents and near-misses. It also separates pedestrian traffic from rail traffic and road traffic. Rail users would be able to access platforms of Sealdah station and Metro rail with reduced travel time.
The new subway which was recently inspected by the general manager of Eastern Railway, Milind Deouskar, according to the divisional railway authorities is designed with a ventilation system that will improve air quality and minimise the impact of air pollution on passages and includes features like ramps for passengers with disabilities to navigate the station. The subway also has signage and wayfinding system for improving the overall passenger experience.
