Railway pens Rs 100 cr expansion plan for Gujarat

The Western Railway is planning to spend over Rs 100 crore for its mega expansion project in Gujarat. The project has been approved in principal and works have commenced at a few locations.

The works include diversion of trains from the Ahmedabad Railway Station at Kalupur to Sabarmati railway station, construction of infrastructure and other facilities at Sabarmati and Gandhinagar railway stations.

The Western Railway is also planning to run direct trains between Gandhinagar and New Delhi.

"The Ahmedabad Railway Station is congested and cannot take any extra load. We are planning to divert traffic to the Sabarmati Railway Station. Work has already commenced in the Sabarmati section to decongest the Ahmedabad route. We are trying to develop Sabarmati Station as one of the main stations which can share the load of the Ahmedabad Railway Station," said Lalit Mohan Sahore, divisional manager, Western Railway, Ahmedabad.

"The Sabarmati station will cater to the needs of Delhi-bound trains and the work has already commenced. A few Mumbai-bound trains may be extended to Sabarmati," said Sahore.

The Centre has already allocated funds for the development projects. Work on the Gandhinagar Station is also progressing.

The Rs 22 crore gauge conversion project is in full swing and is expected to be completed in the next one year.

The Ahmedabad Railway Station has 10 platforms for broad gauge trains and four for metre gauge trains.

The Western Railway is also planning to expand the Ahmedabad Railway Station to accommodate more trains.

Work on the Ahmedabad-Vatva section is in full swing.

"Most of the projects have been approved in principal. We are working on the remaining projects and expect to finalise them in the coming months. After completion of the expansion, Sabarmati Railway Station will be a full-fledged station with improved facilities," said Sahore.