The Gujarati railway station of Somnath is now undergoing renovation by the Western Railway. The Gir Somnath district’s railway station, which is close to the well-known Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple and close to Veraval town, will undergo renovations based on the temple’s architectural style, according to the WR.
The project is being carried out by the Bhavnagar division’s Gati Shakti unit of Western Railway for a cost of Rs 157.4 crore, and it is scheduled to be finished in March 2025.
The station has reportedly been closed since September due to construction, and the demolition of the station’s current structure is currently under way. The foundation’s excavation work is happening concurrently.
According to the WR, the main station building will have 12 shikhars (towers) at the terrace level that depict the jyotirlingas, and the front will have a similar design to that of the Somnath Jyotirling Temple.
The train station is being renovated and redesigned to become a well-planned station with enough space for various services and features. Segregated arrival and departure passenger plazas, conflict- and congestion-free entry and exits from station grounds, underground parking arrangements, etc. are all part of the idea. In order to prevent crowding on the platforms, the concourse/waiting spaces will also provide amenities and conveniences for passengers, according to the railway.
Wi-Fi will be available throughout the entire station complex, and there will also be accessibility features. In addition, provisions are being created for the operation of battery-powered cars and for the efficient use of energy, water, and other resources. According to the WR, the station will also be outfitted with cutting-edge safety and security technology.
The Indian Railways has designated 204 stations around the nation for rehabilitation, of which three have already been opened for business and 43 are under construction.
The first of these stations to be renovated was Rani Kamalapati, close to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh; the other two were Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal in Bengaluru, Karnataka; and Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat. Five further stations—Surat, Udhna, Sabarmati, New Bhuj, and Ahmedabad—are also undergoing rehabilitation work.
