Eastern Railway mechanises laundry operations
Eastern Railway has mechanised its laundry operations at six locations: Tikiapara, Sealdah, Chitpur, Asansol, Malda, and Bhagalpur.
Following a mammoth daily footfall at Sealdah station, the authorities of the Sealdah division are now considering developing an alternate terminal station in the city at Kolkata station.
Handling a massive footfall of around 12 lakh passengers daily, the Sealdah station takes an enormous crowd load. Being the one of the busiest stations of the state, it is also one of the major railway terminals of the country serving the city of Kolkata. Given the load of passengers and the pressure of numerous train services, both local and long distance ones, the authorities of the division are now considering plans of decongesting the station where the footfall in the near future is anticipated to shoot up with the addition of Esplanade-Sealdah stretch of the East-West Metro corridor.
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According to official sources, the division is in talks with a consultancy that is preparing a master plan or the detailed project report. While 17 stations of the division have been identified for improvement under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, Kolkata station being of them is being planned for a major revamp under the programme.
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In addition to increased train operations, the station is also being planned for developing it as a huge economic hub in the vicinity. “Actually, we need to develop Kolkata station as Sealdah is getting landlocked. We need to have one more terminal which would be world-class. We have offered a consultancy to a firm. They have come up with some plans. A lot of work is to take place at the stations including several commercial spaces. The investment here will be a big one and not limited to a few crores,” informed an official.
As elaborated by official sources, the division is discussing the master plan with the consultant. “Once we are satisfied with it, we will have some discussions with the local authorities and then send the proposal to the railway ministry.”
Although the exact expenditure on the redevelopment is yet to be finalized, the estimated cost is anticipated to be around Rs 300 to 500 crore.
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