New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) The Railway Board has approved a proposal for the complete remodelling of Mathura station with additional platforms, increased train services and a plethora of passenger amenities.
Besides being a prominent religious town, Mathura, which comes under Agra Division of the North Central Railway (NCR) Zone, is a vital link in the New Delhi-Mumbai Golden Quadrilateral route and on an average 163 trains — both passenger and freight — pass through it daily.
An increase in rail traffic over the years has necessitated a revamp of the station, a senior railway official said.
Under the remodelling plan, accessed by PTI, the station will get two new platforms, one platform will be extended and several railway tracks will undergo conversion and extension processes along with the introduction of electronic interlocking for enhanced safety of trains operations.
After the revamp, trains coming from the northeast region of the country via Kasganj and the northwest region via Bharatpur and Achhnera to Delhi can take the Mathura route, which is shorter and faster.
The remodelling will provide a huge boost to freight operations as well.
The North Central Railway zone had written to the Railway Board on October 5 and submitted a 116-day-long remodelling plan, according to which, the proposed work was to be started from October 16. The plan had extensive details of cancellation of 222 trains and diversion of 44 trains along with loss of freight services among others.
“The NCR had expected that the Board would approve it before October 16 and the work would take off as per the plan. However, the Board’s approval came in the evening of October 16,” a source from the railway zone said.
“Now, since the remodelling will lead to cancellation and diversion of several trains, everything has to be planned from the scratch. Meetings are being held but it looks like the work may start post Diwali only as it is difficult to get manual labourers during festive season,” the source added.
While granting approval for the yard remodelling work, the board has asked the zone to make arrangements so that passengers must be duly notified and informed in advance to ensure their convenience and awareness.
“Cancellation of trains, if necessary, should be done keeping in view operational fluidity and punctuality of trains. In the case of train diversions, every possible effort should be made to minimize any delays encountered along the revised routes,” the board directed. PTI JP SMN SMN
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