The Vizag railway station is set for a makeover under the station redevelopment programme as the city would transform into the headquarters of the new zone South Coast Railway Zone with an estimated cost of Rs 460 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would lay a foundation stone for the project on November 12.
The upgraded station will have state-of-the-art skywalks facilitating seamless passenger movement. A roof plaza connecting the departure halls with a common waiting area above the platforms for easy movement of passengers.
Apart from this, retiring tooms, a medical emergency room, multi-level car parking, retail, and office spaces, and others were planned under the redevelopment.
Bengal Nagpur Railway which was named South Eastern Railway later built the 1287 km line from Cuttack to Vijayawada between 18930-1896.
The Waltair Railway Station was founded in the year 1896.
Presently, 120 trains are passing through the Visakhapatnam station including 38 trains starting from the port city.
The footfall of the Visakhapatnam Railway station is around 50,000 per day and the numbers would go up to 80,000 to one lakh on festival days.
The redevelopment of the Vizag railway station was mooted in 2017 with world-class standards.
The present station has eight platforms and there are plans for the construction of another two platforms.
The modernised station building will have a built-up area of more than 35,000sqm.
The Waltair Division Railway Manager (DRM) Anup Kumar Satpathy said that the modernization would enhance passenger safety, comfort, and convenience.
This would also facilitate unidirectional passenger flow with effective segregation of arrival and departure.
He further said that the modernization would create a sustainable financial ecosystem for effective execution and management of the Railway Infrastructure.
It would also provide space for simultaneously working on the improvement, enhancement, and development of the urban fabric around the station.
