The Indian Railways operates a handful of royal tourist trains such as the Maharajah Express and the Palace on Wheels, and to further enhance the luxurious and exotic experience, the Safdarjung Railway Station will soon be renovated. Indian Railways has confirmed that the station will receive a grand makeover to handle such trains at a cost of Rs 350 crore. The station will be decorated in such a way to make it a memorable experience for tourists from India and abroad. Although many passenger trains also pass through Safdarjung station on the Ring Rail route daily, this station is known for operating tourist trains. Special tourist trains run frequently from here by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
#projectupdate Redevelopment of Safdarjung Railway Station. IRCON applied for EC clearance on 7 November 2019. Other bids have already been invited. pic.twitter.com/dyXWJ9Z5Xe— Chandrashekhar Dhage (@cbdhage) December 27, 2019
Safdarjung Railway Station: Development Cost
This attracts a large number of foreign tourists. Since, adequate facilities are not available at the railway station, it has been decided to develop this station. Presently the redevelopment work is taking shape with an approved cost of Rs 384.70 crore. After reconstruction, the station will have a built-up area of 41,350 square meters and is expected to be converted into a state-of-the-art station with modern amenities.
A few days ago, the Ministry of Railways had released the information about the current progress of this railway station and said that the foundation work of the station is going on. RCC footing, retaining wall, column and slab etc. are being added.
Safdarjung Railway Station: New Design
The redeveloped station will reportedly have a state-of-the-art building, a connecting concourse, an office complex along with a retail facility apart from modern platform infrastructure. The number of platforms at the station will also be increased.
To facilitate the movement of pedestrians, arrival and departure will be separated through lifts and escalators. Separate passenger drop-off and pedestrian plazas and passenger pick-up and pedestrian plazas have been proposed for private cars, taxis and auto rickshaws with dedicated slots for buses.
The ground floor of the railway station will include an arrival hall, ticketing, shopping and waiting lounge areas along with passenger amenities. At the same time, on the first floor of this station, there will be other facilities including executive lounge, waiting area, food court and medical room. Solar powered energy efficient lamps will also be used for lighting here.
Safdarjung Railway Station: Trains
However, along with royal trains like ‘Palace on Wheels’ and Maharaja Express, Heritage Express and trains connecting various pilgrimage sites, special theme based trains are also run from here in collaboration with various departments.
These trains are not operated on a regular basis like other passenger trains and the timings of these trains are announced by IRCTC and Railway Administration from time to time.