At a press conference held on Monday, 14 November 2022, Waltair Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Anup Kumar Sathpathy informed that two new platforms would come up at the Visakhapatnam Railway Station. It is already known that the authorities have taken up redevelopment works of the station with a budget of Rs 456 crores. Alongside the new platforms, the DRM stated that the facelifting project would include the construction of lifts and elevators on every platform.
Speaking to the media, DRM Sathpathy pointed out that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the redevelopment of the Visakhapatnam Railway Station did not include establishing new platforms. Nevertheless, considering the heavy demand, the authorities have decided to set up two new railway lines, he said. During his recent visit, Union Minster of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the redevelopment works. The DRM expressed that the authorities are taking all the measures to wrap up the redevelopment project of the Visakhapatnam Railway Station at the earliest.
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In a bid to ease the movement of vehicles around the station, the railway officials have also planned to expand the roads to clear traffic congestion, he added to his statement. The DPR also includes the setting up of 21 lifts, 31 escalators, and modern foot-over bridges. Speaking about the HQ of the new South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR), the DRM elaborated that it will be a multi-storeyed facility with each floor spreading across 4,500 sq ft.
Further, he addressed the issues of railway officials resorting to malpractices, such as renting out their designated residential quarters to outsiders. He stressed that such officials would be reprimanded severely and even face suspension. “A new train between Visakhapatnam and Varanasi would be commissioned very soon”, he added. DRM Sathpathy also said that the authorities are taking measures to regulate the on-demand Visakhapatnam-Bangalore train.
On a closing note, he revealed the authorities’ plans to modernise the Simhachalam, Marripalem, Pendurthi, Araku, Cheepurupalli, Damanjodi, and Jagdalpur stations.
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