Dhanbad railway station will boast better passenger amenities in the days to come.

Deputy general manager of East Central Railway Sanjeev Mittal, who arrived in the coal town on Wednesday for a two-day inspection and held a meeting with divisional railway manager Manoj Krishna Akhauri and other senior officials, said that facilities at the station would be upgraded and the circulating area renovated.

Among the measures proposed, a shed will be constructed from the VIP lane to the main entrance to shield passengers from harsh sun rays and rain during summer and monsoon. Also, the area near the main gate will be beautified to accord a warm welcome to visitors.

On the other hand, the circulating area, which has separate lanes to facilitate movement of autos, cars, taxis and private vehicles, is in a bad shape because of potholes that have surfaced due to poor upkeep. While jerks during auto travel are common, the lanes also get congested with traffic during peak hours.

Dhanbad MLA Raj Sinha, during a visit on September 23, had toured the circulating area in an auto to verify the complaints of passengers.

After the bumpy ride, he also raised the issue with the railways.

"Dhanbad enjoys the status of an A1 station. The facilities at the station need to be upgraded befitting that status," Mittal told the media.

He also instructed the local railway authorities to maintain the highest standard of cleanliness besides taking stock of the fountain in front of the main gate that is non-operational due to some technical reasons.

Dhanbad was the first railway station of Jharkhand to be accorded A1 grade in 2013 by the railway board.

Thereafter, several new facilities like escalators on platform No. 2 and 3, a new station complex on the southern side comprising unreserved ticket counters, waiting hall and a battery-operated car were added to the junction.

Efforts are also on for installing an elevator at the station. Tenders were floated several times, but no bidder has turned up yet.