Kumbakonam railway station is poised for a major revamp with the Railway Ministry clearing the detailed plan with minor modifications.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the new facilities proposed at Kumbakonam station and its new model during a video conference on the redevelopment of major stations all over the country with the general managers and divisional railway managers on Sunday.
Kumbakonam is one of the stations in the Southern Railway zone that is proposed to get a complete makeover under the major station redevelopment project. While reviewing the station’s plan, the Railway Minister chose a new facade for the building besides enquiring about the changes proposed, railway sources said.
The Southern Railway Construction Organisation, which was entrusted with the task of drawing up a plan for revamping the station, had engaged a technical consultancy firm to prepare the master plan. Kumbakonam is one of the busy stations in the Villupuram-Thanjavur mainline section in Tiruchi Railway Division.
The sources said the proposed new building would have three floors with Chola architectural style of gopuram. The building will have air-conditioned retiring rooms and dormitories, food court, tourism and information centre, automated teller machines, and taxi booking counters.
It will have five escalators and six lifts. Platforms will receive significant attention with the addition of benches, drinking water facility, and aesthetic shelters to ensure a comfortable and pleasant experience for travellers. New parking facilities for two-wheelers and cars will be created. A dedicated art gallery — Vivekananda Memorial Art Gallery — will be built inside the building.
The plan includes well-designed ramps at the porticos for persons with disabilities and elderly travellers with the concourse area to be renovated. The station premises will feature new sign boards and LED display boards.
New counters
New ticket booking counters will be built besides waiting halls with improved flooring and seating coupled with high standard toilets, said the sources. An integrated passenger information system will be implemented to provide real-time updates on train schedules.
Kumbakonam will be the second major station in Tiruchi Railway Division after Puducherry where a major redevelopment project has been proposed, the sources said. Categorised as a NSG (non-suburban) 4 station, Kumbakonam found its place in the top five major stations in Tiruchi Railway Division with a quantum jump in earnings and passenger traffic during the 2022-2023 fiscal.
