Title - Junction status mooted for Shakurbasti rail station

To decongest existing rail stations, Delhi government has requested the union railway ministry to look into its proposal to revamp the railway station at Shakurbasti and convert it into a “big junction” by using a 40-acre Northern Railway land in Punjabi Bagh.
    In a letter to minister Pawan Kumar Bansal last week, Delhi chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has requested the ministry to utilize this land situated on Rohtak Road opposite Punjabi Bagh underpass to upgrade the station on the lines of Anand Vihar Terminal. As per the proposal, this station will handle trains from five northern states—Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
    “Shakurbasti railway station is situated in west Delhi and abutting this railway station a large tract of land is available. It will be good idea to make Shakurbasti railway station a big junction to handle north and west bound trains going to J&K, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan in the same pattern as Anand Vihar railway station was developed to handle east bound trains. In the process, three major railway stations can be decongested and commuters' inconvenience minimized," read the letter.
    The letter also said that all four major railway stations are located approximately 15-30 km away from most colonies in west and north Delhi. “This part of Delhi is heavily populated and residents of these areas have to commute long distances to catch a train spending considerable time, money and energy," it said. Until the 1990s this land was being used for oil and fuel storage. However, around mid-90s a massive fire broke out at the storage house. Since then the land has been lying vacant.
    “We have been pursuing the matter for quite some time. The land is at an appropriate place with proximity to Shakurpur, Punjabi Bagh and Outer Ring Road,” PWD minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, who first floated the proposal and sent it to the ministry in mid-2012, said.
Upgrade On Track

• The station will handle trains bound for J&K, Himachal, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan

• It will thus decongest existing railway terminals

• It will be a boon for west and north Delhi residents and save their money, energy and time