Ayodhya: Food plaza, escalators, lifts, tourist information centre, infant care, AC retiring room and a cloak room — these are the range of amenities for the passengers at the refurbished three-storey Ayodhya Dham Junction railway station.
While the work is ongoing, the first phase was completed at the cost of more than Rs 240 crore. As per the railway authorities, the station has been developed to handle one lakh passengers on a daily basis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the railway station Saturday. He will also flag off the new superfast passenger train Amrit Bharat Express as well as six Vande Bharat trains connecting Delhi, Katra, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Mangalore, and Mumbai.
“The superfast passenger trains (Amrit Bharat Express) are for the poor people who can’t afford an AC compartment. They also want to come and visit Ram temple. So, now, they can come in these trains in less time,” a government official said.
The PM will also dedicate three railway projects worth Rs 2,300 crore to the nation. “The projects include the Rooma Chakeri-Chanderi third line project; Jaunpur-Tulsi Nagar, Akbarpur-Ayodhya, Sohawal-Patranga and Safdarganj-Rasauli sections of the Jaunpur-Ayodhya-Barabanki doubling project; and doubling and electrification project of the Malhaur-Daliganj railway section,” read a PIB press release.
Largest concourse, heritage architecture
Abutting the old railway station is the new structure of the Ayodhya Dham railway station spread across 11,000 sq m featuring the country’s largest concourse, said the government authorities.
“The concourse is set up on the first floor which spans 7,200 sq m,” the government official said.
A glance at the signage and the automatic gates suggests that the designer has taken inspiration from the metro station layouts. The revamped station has a blend of temple elements assimilated in modern architecture. The central dome of the railway station is modelled around Lord Ram’s crown with a ‘chakra’ that represents the sun.
To make the station convenient for passengers and staff, AC retiring rooms, women and men dormitories, lodging rooms for staff, dedicated rooms for station masters and women employees have been developed. Dedicated rooms have also been for disabled people and infants.
The railway station will also have a tourist information centre and passenger facilities desk. “It will provide information on the tourist destinations in Ayodhya along with a brief history. They will also provide tourist guides if and when required,” the government official said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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