Attari railway station to be upgraded

Amritsar, Apr 9 (UNI) The Attari railway station will be upgraded and would have the best facilities that are at par with those avaliable at international airports.

" As a large number of passengers use the Attari-Lahore route, a need was felt to provide the best facilities to the passengers at this border station", Minister of state for Railways R Velu said here today.

Mr Velu who alongwith senior officials of his ministry undertook an inspection of the Attari station said that an amount of Rs 19 crore would be spent on the upgradation. This project would involve providing the best facilities to the passengers on the platforms as they have to spend long hours before boarding the Samjautha Express for Lahore or the train to Delhi.

The facilities would include air conditioned waiting halls and a canteen, besides installing water coolers on the platforms. The administration block would also be airconditioned.

Mr Velu also discussed the upgradation of the Amritsar railway station with officials. This station is amongst the 22 rail stations in the country which would be made model railway stations.

Acccording to the Minister an amount of Rs 8 crore would be spent on the Amritsar station. The number of platforms would be increased from five to seven, he added.

Replying to a question, the Minister said that survey of the proposed Amritsar-Ferozpur rail link via Khem Karan had already commenced. This vital link would shorten the distance between the Holy City and Mumbai and also between Jammu and Mumbai.

UNI XC-HS JS1910