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S. Ravneet Singh, Minister of State for Railways, has announced that new buildings on both sides of Chandigarh railway station will be ready for public use by February 2025.
He made the announcement while addressing the media following his visit to Chandigarh railway station on Tuesday. The redevelopment of Chandigarh railway station into a world-class facility is progressing at full speed, with the entire project expected to be completed by May 2025. "Chandigarh serves as the gateway to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana, making this railway station strategically significant. Currently, Chandigarh railway station sees a footfall of around 36,000 passengers daily, with an average of 82 trains passing through, including 17 pairs originating or terminating here each day," said the minister. Ravneet Singh emphasised that passenger safety is the top priority for Indian Railways. "With this in mind, the Ministry of Railways has approved the installation of Kavach 4.0 on 10,000 locomotives. The ministry has also sanctioned the upgrade to Kavach 4.0 for all existing installations of Kavach," he added. He explained that high-density routes were prioritised for the deployment of Kavach on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes (covering approximately 3,000 route kilometres). These two routes are expected to be completed within this financial year. Regarding the installation of Kavach in Northern Railways, Ravneet Singh stated that 1,790 route kilometres of work have been sanctioned. In Punjab, 121 route kilometres have been approved for Kavach installation, including Chandigarh to Dhulkot (33 route kilometres) and Ferozepur to Bathinda (88 route kilometres). The minister also announced that during the festival season of Durga Puja, Chhath Puja, and Diwali, Indian Railways will operate 6,000 special trains across the country. In Northern Railways, 161 trains will run, accounting for 2,882 trips, originating and terminating in the region. (ANI)
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