Six additional platforms to be built, says Ministry
Indian Railways has approved the Rs.299 crore remodelling of the Visakhapatnam Coaching Yard of South Coast Railway to enhance the station’s handling capacity, improve punctuality and provide modern passenger amenities at one of the busiest railway terminals in the country.
The sanctioned project includes comprehensive remodelling of the Visakhapatnam Coaching Yard through construction of additional lines and platforms along with Electronic Interlocking (EI), the Railway Ministry said on 31 July.
Visakhapatnam Railway Station is a major coaching terminal handling nearly 80,000 passengers every day with an average of 113 trains daily. Owing to the existing yard layout, terminating and through trains are required to negotiate surface crossings, leading to detention at approach signals, reduced platform availability and operational constraints.
The yard remodelling will minimise the impact of these surface crossings, reduce detention time, improve platform occupancy and enable handling of additional trains.
The scope of work includes:
Dismantling of line loop lines and reorganising the point zones.
Widening of the existing six platforms.
Construction of six additional platforms equipped with modern passenger amenities.
Construction of six additional railway lines.
Development of passenger utilities, including ramps, lifts and escalators on the widened platforms to improve accessibility and passenger convenience.
Creation of a new entrance on the eastern side of the station along with relocation of the Passenger Reservation System (PRS).
Installation of Electronic Interlocking (EI) in the Visakhapatnam station yard along with development of surface parking facilities and an efficient circulating area plan.
Improved Operational Efficiency and Passenger Convenience
The remodelling project will significantly improve operational efficiency by reducing congestion within the coaching yard, increasing platform availability and facilitating smoother movement of trains.
The additional infrastructure will enable Visakhapatnam station to handle growing passenger demand while improving punctuality and reducing detention of trains, the Ministry said. fiinews.com
