Berhampur rly stn to get Rs 182cr worth facelift in 1st phase

Berhampur: Berhampur railway station is set to get a facelift soon, as East Coast Railway has floated a tender for its redevelopment, costing Rs 182.57 crore in the first phase.The railways sanctioned Rs 300 crore for the development of the Berhampur railway station, one of the oldest stations on the Howrah-Chennai main line, in April. The redevelopment plan includes adding three rail lines, four platforms, a wide air concourse, quick watering system, escalators, lifts and strengthening of the surveillance measures, among other things. In the first phase, the works will be executed through engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model, aimed to be completed in 20 months, sources said.Berhampur handles over 162 trains to major cities of the country, and around 25,000 passengers every day.Southern Odisha Joint Railway Development Action Committee thanked Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for taking up the redevelopment works, one of their long-standing demands.“We hope the work will be completed as per the scheduled period,” said Saroj Ranjan Pattnaik, committee convener.The committee has also urged the minister to grant financial approval to their other demands, including setting up of a coaching depot at Golanthara near here, construction of Berhampur-Rairakhol (Sambalpur), Gopalpur-Rayagada (Singapore road) and Gopalpur-Talcher railway lines, which will fall in the areas, where there is no network so far.