Road Widening on upgrading Mangaluru Junction under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
Mangaluru: Southern Railway’s Palakkad Division has commenced the work on upgrading Mangaluru Junction under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme with the widening of the approach road from Padil. The station is one among 15 under the Palakkad Division being developed under the Amrit Bharat Station Development Scheme
The 500m existing single-lane concrete road branching out of Padil-Jalligudde/Bajal is being widened to a two-lane concrete road to facilitate the smooth movement of vehicles into and out of the station. Mud on the existing road flank is being excavated even as wet mix macadam is in progress to support the concrete paved road along the stretch. The widening work will take about two months to get completed as two culverts on the stretch have to be extended and rebuilt, said an official from Palakkad Division. Meanwhile, work on the foundation for another platform shelter on Platform 1 has been taken up simultaneously.
Coming up next to the existing shelter, the 6 m wide and 16 m long shelter will provide added cover to passengers waiting for trains at the junction. The foundation work will be completed by September. The Railway Ministry had sanctioned Rs 19.32 crore to develop Mangaluru Junction under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme and already released Rs 10.5 crore. The station building would be improved with a better elevation representing the coastal Karnataka architecture, while the circulating area would have a well-designed road with adequate provisions for vehicle parking and other facilities.
The passenger concourse too would get a makeover with well-designed interiors. Mangaluru Junction is one of the 90 stations under Southern Railway and 15 under Palakkad Division identified for improvement under the ABSS. The SR zone was sanctioned Rs 934 crore by the Railway Ministry under the scheme, in which Palakkad Division got Rs 195.54 crore. It should be noted that Mangaluru Junction is one of the prominent stations along the West Coast, from Thiruvananthapuram to Ahmedabad. Almost all passing trains from South to North and vice-versa halt here for coach watering.
