Jaisalmer railway station to be developed on lines of an airport

Jaisalmer: Plans to renovate the Jaisalmer railway station in an airport-inspired style are now complete. To be erected with a budget of Rs 148 crore, the railway station will be a threestorey, heritage lookalike building. Like the airport, food courts, well-equipped waiting rooms, lifts, escalators, AC and non-AC restrooms and modern machines for cleaning will be available. A company based in Bikaner has taken the responsibility of completing the work. The work is likely to start by this month and the completion will take about two years to complete. Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Geetika Pandey informed that the redevelopment of Jaisalmer railway station, which is important from the strategic and tourism point of view, is being done by the construction department of the railways. Like the airport, all the facilities will be there at the railway station. She informed that the redevelopment of Jaisalmer railway station located in the Jodhpur division of the North-Western Railway is being done as per the intention of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav.

The DRM said that during the modernization of the Golden City Jaisalmer Railway Station special attention will be given to local art and culture during beautification. After the transformation of the railway station, the plan for its commercial use would also be worked out so that the railways would get extra revenue, she added. It will take about two years for the work to be completed. The existing station building is twostorey and the new building to be built will be three-storey. The new building will possess offices for various departments. The heritage look will be given according to the choice of the tourists. Yellow stone will be used in the construction of the new building, while heritage will feature carved jharokhas, jaalis, chhatris, stone fencing, and more. Moreover, digital displays will be installed on the platforms for the convenience of the passengers.