Eastern Rly to increase length of 4 platforms of Sealdah Stn
Kolkata: The Eastern Railway (ER) will start work on increasing the length of four platforms of Sealdah (North) Station to ensure that more than 12 coaches EMU trains can be fitted. The target is to complete the work by April.
The work for increasing the length of the four platforms will start from February 18. Suggestions were made by passengers to the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) and his team to run 12 coaches EMU during peak hours.
The team interacted with passengers at Bidhannagar Station, where according to Railway authorities, there are frequent complaints of passengers facing difficulties in boarding trains. The prime demand of the passengers was running of trains properly, arrival at the right platform and local trains to have 12 coaches especially in the rush hour.
They have also requested that the illegal shop owners not light kerosene stoves at station premises and maintain sufficient space for easy movement of passengers on platforms.
ER has introduced 12 coaches EMU in various branches of Howrah and Sealdah to deal with suburban congestion. According to Railway officials, most trains in Sealdah South and Howrah
Division have 12 coaches but the Sealdah Main and North branches have not been able to provide 12 coaches to all EMU locals.
However, during the peak hours, trains with 12 coaches are run in the Sealdah North branch. Out of 134 pairs of EMU trains running under Sealdah South Branch, 132 pairs have 12 coaches, but in case of Sealdah North, out of 186 Up trains, 88 are 12 coaches trains and out of 188 Down trains, 88 are 12 coaches trains.
To include 12 coaches, platform length needs to be increased at several places. Apart from that, changes need to be made involving modernisation of ancillary signal systems and in many cases yard modification. According to ER, like Sealdah South Branch, platform modification work is also going on in Sealdah North Branch, including Sealdah Station’s platform number one, two,
three and four.
