Waiting at Tatanagar may soon be less of an ordeal.
The A-1 station under Chakradharpur railway division will soon get a state-of-the-art executive lounge with "airport-like facilities", including plush seats, LED television, Wi-Fi, music, squeaky clean washrooms, buffet spread and a newspaper stand.
The blueprint is said to be ready for the ambitious Rs 2 crore-plus project.
Tatanagar manager O.P. Sharma is sanguine that the air-conditioned lounge, which will sprawl over 2,000sqft on the first floor of the station, will be thrown open within the next five months. "It is a promising project aimed at generating revenue, besides achieving passenger satisfaction," he said.
Assistant station superintendent Malay Mallik said the swanky lounge would help passengers beat the exhaustion of long waits.
"A few air-conditioned dormitories will also be attached to the lounge. Only bona fide passengers can avail of the facilities by paying the tariff, which will be finalised after construction work is over. The commercial section of Chakradharpur division will work out the fee for the lounge and dorms," Mallik said.
The senior railway official added that the lounge would have a capacity to accommodate more than 30 passengers at any given time.
Incidentally, Tatanagar already has an air-conditioned lounge, built two years ago, where a seat can be reserved for Rs 17 an hour. But, the lounge can accommodate only 15-20 passengers at a time and lacks on entertainment quotient.
Passenger associations have welcomed the railway initiative. "We are happy that the Chakradharpur division has proposed an executive lounge-cum-lodging facility at Tatanagar, which is an important junction under South Eastern Railway (SER). The new facility will definitely draw good response from passengers. The railway should ensure its proper upkeep and maintenance," said A. Tiwary, a senior functionary of Chhotanagpur Passengers' Association.
Jamshedpur-based businessman Arun Agarwal said he was happy to hear that Tatanagar would have an executive lounge with airport-like facilities. The existing AC lounge is small and the amenities are not up to the mark. I am hopeful that the new one will be much better. I am looking forward to availing the promised comforts," said the frequent traveller.
Significantly, Tatanagar, which falls on Howrah-Mumbai main line, is the second most busiest railway station under SER after Howrah near Calcutta. According to official records, Tatanagar witnesses a daily footfall of 50,000 passengers and movement of 49 pairs of trains, including the Rajdhani and Duronto.
