Workers revamp seating arrangements on a platform at Hatia station on Tuesday . Pictures by Hardeep Singh

Hatia railway station, which witnesses an average daily footfall of around 10,000, is on the right track to become passenger-friendly.

Several new facilities starting from additional passenger sheds to drinking water kiosks to seating places are coming up on all its three platforms to make the experience of waiting for trains more comfortable.

While the passenger shed is being extended for nearly 200 metres towards Bano on platform No. 1, platform Nos. 2 and 3, which were hitherto without any cover, are getting a common shed 300 metres long.

The entire framework will take around six more months to be ready.

“The passenger count at the station has gone up by a huge number over the past decade. During rush hour, the space under the existing shed at platform 1 is barely enough to accommodate all passengers. Hence, we decided to expand the sheds across the station,” said an official of Ranchi railway division.

Passengers’ associations had long been urging the railway authorities to improve amenities at Hatia, the second most important station in the city after Ranchi station.

“In keeping with the wishes of the passengers, we are extending the sheds from one end to the other at the platforms. This apart, we are making proper seating arrangements, adding drinking water kiosks and food stalls for the benefit of passengers,” said Ranchi divisional railway manager Gajanan Mallya.

However, he could not give the total costs the railways would incur in developing the station.

At present, as many as 29 trains ply through Hatia station, many of which start and end there. Some of these important trains are Hatia-Puri Tapaswini Express, Hatia-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express, Hatia-Yeshwantpur Express, Hatia-Howrah Express, Hatia-Patna Express, Pataliputra Express, Jharkhand Swarna Jayanti Express and Maurya Express.

New trains that have started running from and through Hatia station include Hatia-LTTE and Ranchi-Bhubaneswar Garibrath Express.

The station will also get another footbridge. At present, it has one footbridge linking the platforms with one another.

Divisional railway users’ consultative committee member Ashok Nagpal thanked the railways for upgrading amenities at the station, but added that more development works like creation of overbridges at different places, setting up of CCTVs and beefing up security were still pending.