Ayodhya Set To Get A Grand New Railway Station By March, Design Inspired By Local Architecture And Religious Ethos

Ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Indian Railways is racing against time to complete the works of multi-crore, new railway station at Ayodhya as the government wants to showcase its work in the temple town.

The design of the station structures is inspired by Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, with domes, long "shikhars" and towering pillars.

As part of the remodelling and upgradation project of the Ayodhya Railway Station, a new two-storey building of the station will be constructed.

The development of this station is the top priority of the railways and once completed, it would be one of the most ultra modern stations of the state.

The construction of the new railway station commenced in 2018 and is coming up next to existing station. The new station is estimated to cost Rs 126 crore, most of the construction work is expected to be complete by March end of 2022.

Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are slated to be held in early 2022.
The development of Ayodhya station has been among the topmost priorities of the state government. The entire work is going at a fast pace and will be completed by March 2022.

At present, the daily passenger footfall at Ayodhya is around 4,000 per day. The railways expects footfalls to multiply once Ram Mandir construction works are completed and the temple is open for pilgrims.

"The new railway station is being built to handle more than 70,000 passengers footfall per day. The station will have all modern facilities," said Virendra Singh Yadav, Additional Divisional Railway Manager.

Currently, there are about 22 mail and express trains halting or passing through the Ayodhya route and six passenger trains also coming to the station. Once passenger arrival increases, more trains will be introduced, said officials.

This is the first phase of the station development. The second phase, which is estimated to cost Rs 307 crore, will have a large waiting area, new platform, approach road, and parking area for pilgrims. The state government is in the process of acquiring land, said Lallu Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency.

Singh refused to link station development and upcoming assembly elections. "BJP never seeks votes in the name of temple. Since Ayodhya is an important pilgrim place, the BJP government both at the Centre and the state are working together to improve the infrastructure of the temple town," he said.

The station will be a major hub for pilgrims as scores of visitors are expected to visit Ayodhya via train. This will also be the largest station dedicated for pilgrims in Uttar Pradesh.