Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw dedicated the redeveloped railway station in Dharwad and remodelled yard of Sri Siddharoodha Swamiji Railway Station in Hubballi on Tuesday.
He also flagged off a weekly express train from SSS Hubballi to Hazrat Nizamuddin with stoppage at Kopargaon, to benefit devotees travelling to Shirdi. It is a weekly service, as of now.
He described SSS Hubballi Station as the second busiest railway station of South Western Railway after KSR Bengaluru.
He also inaugurated the third entry to SSS Hubballi Station with three additional platforms and other facilities. With this, Hubballi Station has eight platforms, one of which is set to be the world’s longest.
Officials have completed modernisation of the yard, signalling and electrical systems at a cost of ₹115 crore. This will address the growing needs of the junction which is a centre place for mass transportation of public and commercial goods in the State.
The third entry will decongest the first two and create easy access for the public from Aralikatte, Mantur Road and Gandhiwada areas. The other two are the main entry gates on Station Road and Gadag Road, respectively.
At the third entry, a new subway for the convenience of passengers boarding from the new platforms (six, seven and eight), Parcel Office, PRS cum UTS ticket counter, waiting halls, wide parking space and circulating area for hassle-free movement without crowding is provided.
The re-modelled yard with state-of-the-art electronic interlocking facilitates simultaneous reception and dispatch of trains smoothly towards all sides and running of trains at full speed on the main line. Further, it also enables trains arriving in Hubballi to stop directly on the platform track avoiding detention at the outer signal waiting for clearance.
The Minister inaugurated the redeveloped Dharwad Railway Station that has a daily average footfall of 2,900.
It has been redeveloped at a cost of ₹20 crore. Apart from the new station building with a number of modern amenities with aesthetically pleasing biophilic architecture, it has a vertical garden and high-rise columns in the concourse which is a blend of aesthetics and practical functionality.
It has a ramp with railing for easy movement of physically challenged passengers, spacious concourse area for smooth movement of passengers, improved circulating area and parking space facilitating easy movement traffic, additional foot overbridge, retiring rooms, dormitories for the benefit of passengers and other facilities.
Murals and paintings of Jnanpith award winners on the walls of booking office enhance cultural and artistic significance.
Rabindra Vatika, a garden with a bust of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore installed, commemorates the visit of Gurudev to the station in 1922.
