Title - Coming up soon: Escalators at railway station

The Chandigarh Railway Station is all set to undergo some changes, with the work for installation of escalators being started and tenders being allotted for construction of a food court.

Although there has been talk of installation of escalators for quite some time, the work for upgradation of the station was expedited after Pawan Kumar Bansal assumed the charge of the Railways Ministry.

The escalators, for which work has commenced at platforms 2 and 3, will take passengers from platforms directly towards the two entrances to the station from Chandigarh and Panchkula side. This will reduce the rush at platform 1. At present, the stairs lead all passengers to platform 1.

The trains that used to depart from and arrive at platforms 2 and 3 have now been diverted to platforms 4 and 5. This includes the Kalka Shatabdi that arrives at Chandigarh in the morning.

The tenders for the food court have also been allotted and construction is likely to be completed in three to four months. It is coming up adjoining the ticket reservation centre. An official says that once the food court is operational, a variety of cuisine will be available at the station, and the customers will be able to get a view of the kitchen from where they sit. The official adds that this is a step towards providing hygienic food. The food court will have a seating capacity of 40 to 50 people.

There are several other proposals that are approved for the station. One of them pertains to installation of new sheds at the station.

Parking contractor issued warning

The parking contractor at the Railway Station was caught overcharging the railway staff. For parking of two-wheelers, he was charging Rs 10 instead of Rs 8, the normal rate. A fine of Rs 1,200 was imposed and a complaint filed.