Passenger amenities improvement works set to be taken up at three stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Tiruchi Division

.Infra & passenger amenities upgrade works to begin soon at 3 railway stations in Tiruchi Division. Amrit Bharat Station Scheme aims to improve facades, landscaping, lighting, toilets & more. Foundation laying event to be held on Aug 6. Top 5 stations in Tiruchi Division to benefit. Puducherry station to be redeveloped.

 Civil works on creating additional infrastructure and improving passenger amenities under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme are set to commence soon at three railway stations in Tiruchi railway division limits.  The works are to be launched at Mayiladuthurai Junction, Thanjavur Junction and Villupuram Junction, which are among the 15 stations in Tiruchi Division identified under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

The railway administration has sanctioned ₹20.46 crore for Mayiladuthurai; ₹23.23 crore for Thanjavur and ₹23.5 crore for Villupuram to upgrade facilities under the scheme that has been conceptualised by the Railway Board. The ambitious scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long term vision. 

The foundation laying event to mark the commencement of the works at Thanjavur, Villupuram and Mayiladuthurai is expected to be held on August 6. The Tiruchi Railway Division has identified Thanjavur, Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Ariyalur, Chidambaram, Karaikal, Mannargudi, Srirangam, Tirupadripuliyur, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvarur, Vellore Cantonment, Vriddhachalam, Lalgudi and Polur under the new scheme.

Railway sources say a slew of works have been planned to be carried out at the three stations under the scheme. 

The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme aims at introduction of new amenities, upgrade and replacement of the existing amenities. It also envisages cost efficient improvement to facades, elements of landscaping, well lit aesthetically pleasing entrance porches and sufficient number of toilets among others. 

Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram and Thanjavur figured in the list of top five stations in Tiruchi Division in respect of handling passengers and in originating passenger earnings in 2022-2023. Villupuram Junction handled over 26 lakh passengers, while the number of passengers handled at Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai were over 36 lakh and over 17 lakh respectively. The annual earnings of Villupuram was over ₹43.3 crore, while it was ₹43.1 crore in the case of Thanjavur and a little over ₹26 crore in respect of Mayiladuthurai. Puducherry station, which also falls under Tiruchi Division, is to be redeveloped with state-of-the-art amenities