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Awaiting Upgrade
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The A-category Tatanagar railway station can look forward to a terminal status.
South Eastern Railway (SER) has decided to convert Tatanagar station into a terminal so that more trains can be introduced along with other facilities.
Confirming the development, officials at Garden Reach, SER headquarters in Calcutta, said a survey has begun in this connection.
“The survey, which is in its initial stage, would determine the requirement of land for the terminal station. In the next two to three years, we have plans to convert Tatanagar into a terminal station like Howrah,” said a senior official.
Speaking to The Telegraph, spokesperson of Chakradharpur railway division K.N. Biswas, who is also the senior divisional commercial manager, said it has been decided to relocate the existing railway goods shed from Tatanagar to Haldipokhar, about 25km away from the steel city.
“Apart from relocating the goods shed, efforts would be made to expand and modernise the washing line at Tatanagar so that maintenance and upkeep of more number of trains can be done,” said Biswas.
The senior railway official explained that more number of trains could originate from Tatanagar if it was developed into a terminal. “A masterplan will be drawn up for this ambitious project,” he said.
Notably, the work for laying the third line on the Howrah-Mumbai main route via Tatanagar has already begun. Railway authorities said it would help in introducing more trains on the route.
A Railway Board source said if Tatanagar is developed into a terminal station, then more mail and express trains can originate from there.
At present, around 90 mail, express and passenger trains originate from and cross Tatanagar everyday. The station, which is the second busiest after Howrah in SER’s jurisdiction, witnesses a daily footfall of over 50,000 passengers.
The Chakradharpur railway spokesperson said land is a constraint. “The decision to shift the goods shed was taken to get more land for the terminal project. The survey will make it clear how much land is available to create facilities that are part of a terminal station,” he added.
Tatanagar assumes significance as it falls on the Howrah-Mumbai main route. Several important trains like Howrah-Mumbai Geetanjali Express, Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express, Ahmedabad Express and high-profile ones like Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express and Bhubaneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express pass through Tatanagar.
Moreover, over half-a-dozen important mail, express and superfast trains originate from Tatanagar daily.
Authorities said with the increase in the number of trains after Tatanagar becomes a terminal, more emphasis would be placed on improving amenities and renovating the station and its surrounding areas.
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