Construction work at Jalandhar Cantt Railway Station is expected to be completed within the next 20 days according to railway officials and the redevelopment project being built at a cost of Rs 98.89 crore has been delayed by nearly two years. Senior railway officials have now directed that remaining work be completed without any further delay.
Senior railway officials from Delhi along with Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Sanjeev Kumar inspected the station building and reviewed the progress of the project and they also discussed preparations for proposed inauguration of redeveloped station by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu and other BJP leaders are also expected to attend the event.
During the inspection officials reviewed different parts of the station, including the platforms, diagnostic room, panel room, IPS room and battery rooms and they found that several works are still pending, officials also noticed dirt and poor maintenance in some areas of the station. Broken switchboards, scattered diesel cans, fire extinguishers and accumulated filth were seen during the inspection.
Following the inspection railway officials directed staff to immediately improve the condition of the station and ordered whitewashing of the old station building and asked that the floors, windows and grills be cleaned properly and instructions were also given to repair damaged areas around the pillars and fix other broken or worn-out parts. Officials also asked for improvements to the station's main entrance.
According to railway officials the redevelopment project has reached its final stage but several important works are yet to be completed. Out of the eight escalators installed at the station only one is currently operational, similarly only three of the ten lifts are working. The installation of a 350 kW solar power system on the station rooftop is still pending.
Other unfinished works include plastering around the coach indication pillars. Along the station boundary, wire railings have already been installed but cleaning work has not been completed and debris is still lying near the dividers now officials have directed that it must be removed.
Officials from Delhi held discussions with DRM Sanjeev Kumar to ensure that no further delays take place and speaking about the delay the DRM said the project is very large and that this was one of the reasons it took longer than expected. A fresh target has now been set to complete all remaining work within the next 20 days.
The redevelopment project had earlier been reviewed by Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu during his visit to Jalandhar on December 1, 2024 and at that time he had said that the station would be completed by September 2025 however the project is still under construction.
Once completed, the upgraded Jalandhar Cantt Railway Station will provide several new facilities for passengers and the station will have an additional entry from the Ramamandi-Dakoha Road side apart from the existing entrance from the Jalandhar-Ludhiana National Highway and this is expected to improve access for passengers coming from different parts of the city.
Two new foot-over bridges have also been constructed at the station. One of these bridges will provide direct access from the parking area to the railway platforms making movement easier for passengers. The station's parking capacity has also been increased and the existing parking space which earlier accommodated around 50 vehicles has been expanded to hold about 200 vehicles, in addition a separate parking facility for around 50 vehicles is planned at the second entry point.
Security arrangements at the redeveloped station will also be strengthened and passengers will have to pass through metal detectors before entering the station and their luggage will be checked using baggage scanners, at present passengers are entering the station without these security checks.
With railway officials now closely monitoring the work the remaining construction, repair and cleaning work is expected to be completed within next 20 days and the redevelopment project worth Rs 98.89 crore is now in its final stage as preparations continue for its proposed inauguration in July.