TNN Sep 16, 2012, 03.23AM IST
BHUBANESWAR: The railways on Saturday unveiled a Rs 205-crore plan to upgrade the Bhubaneswar railway station. It also proposed to expand the Puri railway station by spending Rs 74 crore, ahead of the Naba Kalebara festival of Jagannath in 2015.
"We have already discussed the plans with chief minister Naveen Patnaik. The state government's response has been favourable. With active support and cooperation of the state government, we can execute the plans within three years," said general manager, East Coast Railways (EcoR), Indra Ghosh, while announcing the plans at a press meet.
Ghosh said the Railway Board has frozen all world class station projects and informed that efforts are being made to build a 'New Bhubaneswar' station between Mancheswar and Barang. "In the last five years due to rapid urbanization, the area around New Bhubaneswar has developed a lot. Adequate land for constructing a world class station is not available at present," he said, adding, "It has now been decided to have 'New Bhubaneswar' as a satellite passenger terminal for Bhubaneswar city."
ECoR offices said while Bhubaneswar is located in the southern side of the state capital, New Bhubaneswar will cater to the city's northern side. "Logically, most South-bound trains should originate from Bhubaneswar and North-bound trains from New Bhubaneswar," Ghosh said.
Throwing light on expansion of the Bhubaneswar railway station, Ghosh said the proposed upgradation would include construction of a multi-level vehicle parking complex, new station building, four additional platforms (Work on 5 and 6 will be commissioned in 2014, while 7 and 8 have been planned) besides modifications to the circulating area and a fly-over at Master Canteen. The state government, he added, would have to construct the fly over at a cost of Rs 85 crore to facilitate unhindered traffic movement. "It is a highly doable project. The railways shall have to expend around Rs 55 crore while the multi-level parking facility (with a basement spread over 4,000 square metres) could be taken up through the public-private-partnership model," said noted senior ECoR officer Subrat Tripathy.
For Puri railway station, Ghosh said a comprehensive masterplan envisaging construction of four additional platforms, parking complexes and a multi-storied 'Yatra Complex' with modern facilities for pilgrims. An additional terminal for Puri area is proposed at Maltipatapur at an expenditure of Rs 137 crore while for Cuttack an extra terminal is being planned at Naraj, he added.
