Howrah railway station redevelopment: The has planned to upgrade 173-years-old Howrah station to run more trains over the next five years. Being one of the oldest and largest railway stations in the country, the history of Howrah station in , dates back to 1854.
Over the years, the Howrah railway station underwent expansion multiple times to meet the rising demand. In 1905, six new platforms were added, increasing the total to seven. In 1984, eight more platforms were constructed, increasing the count to 15. A new terminal complex was built in 1992, along with four additional platforms. Later, in 2009, the station was further expanded, raising the total number of platforms to 23.
Recently, the national transporter has decided that the train originating capacity of major stations needs to be doubled from the current level over the next five years. As part of the plan, Howrah railway station is also set to get a upgradation, over the next few years, in terms of capacity.
Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Shibram Majhi, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Eastern Railway said that terminal capacity has been enhanced at Howrah station through new platforms and platforms extensions.
“Howrah Division of Eastern Railway has undertaken major capacity augmentation initiatives at Howrah Station to enhance train handling capability, improve traffic flow, and provide better passenger convenience at one of the busiest railway terminals in the country,” he said.
The Railway official also stated that several measures has been taken to reduce the waiting time of long-distance trains approaching Howrah Station, particularly those originating from South Eastern Railway (SER) routes.
The zonal railway has completed the reconstruction and extension of platform number 15 at Howrah station. The platform has been extended to 591 metres from 312 metres. This will allow the platform to handle 22- to 24-coach long-distance Mail/Express trains. Earlier, the platform could accommodate only 12-coach EMU trains.
It also completed the extension work of platform number 14 at Howrah Station. The platform length has been increased to 581 metres from 564 metres. This will facilitate the accommodation of longer-length long-distance trains. It will also improve flexibility in platform assignment.
The Howrah railway station is set to get two new platforms, as part of Eastern Railway’s capacity augmentation work. The 635-metres-long Platform number 24 will accommodate 24-coach long-distance Mail/Express trains, while Platform number 16, with a length of 300 metres, will be suitable for handling 12-coach trains. Once completed, both the platforms are expected to ensure better segregation of suburban and long-distance services, improved punctuality and smoother passenger movement.
To further strengthen terminal capacity, the Railways has planned the extension of multiple existing platforms of Howrah station. The move will improve accommodation of longer coach formations, thereby increasing train capacity and operational flexibility.
The zonal railways has already completed the extensions of Platform numbers 14 and 15 of Howrah station. Apart from this, once the other planned works are completed, the terminal handling capacity of Howrah railway station is expected to improve further by smoother boarding and deboarding and better crowd management, among others.
