Come September and commuters will use an escalator to reach the main entrance of the Udupi railway station. Apart from the escalator, other facilities for the passengers are also on the anvil at the station.
Since Udupi is a major pilgrim centre and the education hub of Manipal is close, nearly 2,000 passengers alight at the Udupi railway station daily on an average.
Unlike most other stations, the Udupi railway station is located above the ground level.
Hence there is a road leading to the entrance of the station on the first floor, while the reservation counter, a hotel and other offices are located on the ground floor.
The escalator will be installed at the ground floor and it will take the passengers to the main entrance of the station. Presently, autorickshaws leave the passengers at the entrance of the station on the first floor.
But there is not much space for many autorickshaws to park and turn near the main entrance. This problem becomes acute when two or three trains arrive within a short span of one another. The escalator is expected to take care of these problems.
“Once the escalator is installed, the autorickshaws can go close to the escalator and drop the passengers there.
This will benefit senior citizens and women a lot,” said Bindu Muralidharan, Regional Railway Manager, Konkan Railway, Karwar.
Already the work to install the escalator at an estimated Rs. 90 lakh has begun. It is expected to be completed by the end of August.
Platform number one at the station is also being widened.
The present width of the platform is about six metres and it is being increased to 10 metres.
“This is essential as more trains are now stopping in Udupi,” said Ms. Muralidharan.
Again, a vegetarian refreshment room is being planned on platform number one. Presently, there is only a tea stall at the station.
Published - June 02, 2015 12:00 am IST
