Jamshedpur: The much-awaited elevator finally made its debut at the A 1-category Tatanagar railway station on Tuesday.

Station director H.K. Balmuchu inaugurated the elevator at platform 1 in the presence of senior railway officials.

Installed by Chennai-based Johnson Lifts, the elevator can carry 13 passengers with a total capacity of 884kg. "We are happy to open the facility for passengers. Tatanagar now becomes the first station under Chakradharpur railway division to have an elevator facility," said Balmuchu.

Work on the elevator project started in July 2016. Apart from platform 1 another elevator will shortly start functioning on platform 3.

Both the elevators have been installed at the Kharagpur-end of the railway station. The second elevator on platform no. 3 would be open to public in another one month or so.

Senior divisional commercial manager and spokesperson of Chakradharpur railway division Bhaskar said the elevator project was aimed at making passengers comfortable. "This will specially benefit the elderly and people with physical disabilities," he added.

Passengers are equally ecstatic. "As the escalator was not functioning today (Tuesday), we used the elevator to reach the foot overbridge from where we went to platform 4 to catch our train," said S.K. Sanyal, a passenger.

Another woman passenger Anamika Singh said, "Now there's an alternative to the escalator. In case the escalator does not function, passengers can use the elevator."

Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry's railway committee chairman Vijay Moonka, said, "We will pursue the Chakradharpur railway division authorities to make the second elevator functional at the earliest."