Guwahati rly station to get 2nd entry point

Guwahati: The Guwahati railway station will soon have a second entry point for which an MoU was signed between the railways and the Assam government on Wednesday.
In order to improve the station and its entry, the NF Railway had approached the Assam government for providing suitable land. As per the MoU, the land of Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) beside the station at Paltan Bazar, measuring over 6682 sq metres, will be handed over to the railways in exchange of over 27,843 sq metres land of railway at Jalukbari.
NF Railway general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava said the design for the second entry from Paltanbazar end will be ready within the next four months. “Apart from providing easy accessibility to passengers, this second entry will reduce traffic congestion within the city,” he added.
The station has its entry from the northern side in Panbazar at present. The new entry will be from the south side.
Shrivastava further said the NF Railway has already appointed a consultant for developing the second entry. “Roof plaza will be provided over the railway track to create additional space at the station for providing sitting arrangements and kiosks for passengers. The station will be developed with a green building concept with the installation of solar panels, waste management and water management facilities. In order to provide adequate amenities to passengers, the station will come up with more facilities like lifts, escalators, modern signages, toilets, spacious waiting hall, parking facilities along with charging points of electric vehicles and facilities of food and stay,” he added.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in whose presence the MoU was signed, said, “The MoU will be a win-win situation for both the ASTC and the Railways as both the entities will gain from this understanding. It will help in decongesting the periphery of the railway station and expedite the rate of development in the state.”
Highlighting some of the works in the state, Sarma said in the last nine years, 212 km of metre gauge tracks have been converted to broad gauge while more than 200 km of rail tracks have been double-tracked in the state. Moreover, he added that the railway is also building a dedicated freight station at Agyathuri and another railway bridge over the Brahmaputra parallel to the existing Saraighat bridge.