5 days ago
Redevelopment of Tirupati Rly Station on fast track
TIRUPATI: Tirupati Railway Station, the main gateway for thousands of devotees visiting the famous Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala, is finally getting a modern upgrade.
After years of delays, the much-anticipated Rs 300 crore redevelopment project was initiated in 2022, with an initial completion deadline set for February 2025. However, due to technical challenges, the project timeline had to be extended. The station is now expected to be completed by December 2025. The redevelopment works are meant to provide a seamless experience for the passengers whose numbers are expected to cross one lakh mark in the next 2-3 decades. To meet this growing demand, the Indian Railways is transforming Tirupati into one of the most modern railway stations in the country. The old entrance on the north side had become too cramped for the ever-growing crowd of devotees. To ease the pressure, the railways have focused on developing the southern side also with a new building by providing all advanced amenities.
Station Director K Satyanarayana told The Hans India that around 95 per cent of the work on the southern side is already done. Once it's completed, the focus will shift to speeding up construction on the northern side. The southern side features a large G+3 building, which will later be expanded by another 10 floors under a public-private partnership. These extra floors will be leased out for commercial spaces.
The new station is being built with passenger comfort in mind. The southern basement alone offers parking for 200 cars and 300 two-wheelers. The ground floor will have ticket counters, arrival and departure concourses, and waiting lounges. The second floor will host waiting halls, a women's waiting area, a food court, toilets, and a cloakroom. The third floor will house facilities like a running room for staff, resting rooms for TTEs and railway offices. To make moving around easier, altogether 20 lifts and 22 escalators are being installed. All platforms will connect to two spacious air concourses, each 35 meters wide, making it easier for passengers to reach any platform once their train is announced.
Security has also been taken into account. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) offices will be located on the ground floor, close to the platforms for better accessibility.
On the northern side, the new station building will cover 10,800 sq m and the G+3 facility will include waiting halls, a VIP lounge, cloakroom, shops, kiosks, reservation office, retiring rooms, and railway offices.
To ease traffic, a new road is being built on the southern side to connect DR Mahal Road with Rayala Cheruvu Road. This 80-foot-wide road will also connect the southern side building directly, once the existing running room is demolished and relocated.
The Station Director said that with the final touches progressing fast, Tirupati Railway Station is well on its way to becoming a landmark facility that not only serves pilgrims better but also offers a modern, hassle-free experience for all passengers.
