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Taking note of Calcutta?s putative transformation, the Railway Board is considering a plan to turn the 100-year-old Howrah railway terminus into an international entity.
A subway connecting the resuscitated East-West Metro linkage, two spacious parking lots ? under as well as above ground ? and redesign of the Hooghly bank in front of the station are part of the plan. Work will begin in mid-2006, with the construction of the parking lots.
?Our objective is to showcase Howrah station and its surrounding areas,? said H.V. Sharma, divisional railway manager of Howrah.
With the existing pedestrian subway connecting the station with the ferry service jetty and the taxi stand proving inadequate ? given the increasing pressure of commuters ? another subway will be constructed at the new concourse.
?We have been watching with interest how Calcutta is evolving. The plans regarding Howrah terminus are being examined in the new context. We want the government to be able to use the new-look Howrah as an anchor in the near future,? said senior railway board members associated with the exercise.
According to the plans, both old and new subways will connect with the proposed Metro station. The East-West Metro link, connecting Salt Lake with Ramrajatala, once established, will have a station between the old and new concourse of Howrah station.
In a recent meeting involving the railway authorities, state tourism department, Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority and Calcutta Port Trust, it was decided that hawkers in the subway would be removed.
Unauthorised structures on the riverbank will be demolished. The process of identifying encroachers is over and action is expected soon.
The old printing press lying unused will be razed to construct the new parking area. Inside the station, two more platforms will be added to the existing 19. Platform 17, used for loading and unloading goods and parcels, will be converted into a passenger platform, while a new platform 22 will be constructed.
Washable aprons, which would facilitate washing away dirt from the tracks, and suction cleaning facilities are also being built. Some platforms already have washable aprons.
The concrete roof sheets on the concourse have been replaced by transparent sheets to provide more daylight. The plan also suggests separate arrival and departure lounges for passengers.
