The Indian Railways will spend Rs 612 crore over the next five years to renovate the Gorakhpur railway station with more facilities at par with contemporary airports, reports IANS. It is noteworthy that the city of UP is the hometown of Yogi Adityanath. Officials claim that the railway station will be expanded to accommodate the expected increase in passenger traffic over the next 50 years, from the current daily average of 92,750 passengers to 1.67 lakh. The tender process of the project will start soon.
The renovated station will have a 63,000-square-metre concourse with a seating capacity of 3,500 passengers, said an official. During peak hour traffic, the station will be able to handle approximately 17,000 passengers. Currently, the facility caters to approximately 9,000 passengers. The main station building will be spread over an area of 17,900 sqm, double the size of the present area.
Similarly, the second entry station building, which is currently spread over an area of 720 square metres, will be expanded to 7,400 square metres. The station will have 44 lifts and 21 escalators.
As per the project details of Gorakhpur railway station, the parking area will accommodate 900 cars which will be double the number of cars parked now. A skywalk will also connect the metro station and the bus station which will reduce the transit time from half an hour to 15 minutes.
“The main station building, which has a 72-metre-wide concourse, will have all passenger amenities under one roof, along with space for cafeteria and other recreational facilities. The architecture of the station building will reflect an amalgamation of age-old heritage and modern design.” said a senior railway official of the Northeast Railway Zone.
