Patna Junction gets new escalator, waiting hall

PATNA: Union minister and Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday inaugurated several new facilities at Patna Junction, including a pair of escalators, waiting hall, ‘Humsafar’ mobile application and cashless payment option at parking and prepaid taxi counters.
He also inaugurated a newly built air-conditioned (AC) waiting hall at the western end of the station building.The waiting hall has the seating facility for 200 people.
Chief public relations officer (CPRO) of East Central Railway (ECR) Rajesh Kumar said the railways has built the new AC waiting hall with an expenditure of Rs 20 lakh.
“The waiting hall has seven 65-inch television screens. The walls of the waiting hall have been adorned with Madhubani paintings,” he said.
The pair of escalators inaugurated by the Union minister has been installed near the old parcel office site at the eastern end of platform number 1.
“The new escalators connecting platform number 1 to 2, 3, 4 and 5 will prove to be a boon for passengers, especially for senior citizens and women,” the CPRO said, adding a food court was also inaugurated at the junction.
Four high-definition (HD) screens for giving information on status of trains were also made functional on Saturday. A kiosk for booking private hotels and taxis was also inaugurated by the Union minister in the circulating area of Patna Junction.
Sanjay Prasad, public relation officer (PRO) of Danapur division of ECR, said passengers can now book hotels from the railway stations as space has been provided to a private hotel chain to run kiosks at different stations, including Patna Junction, Danapur station, Pataliputra Junction and Rajendra Nagar Terminal.
A mobile application, ‘Humsafar’, was also launched by the minister. “The app will help passengers locate cafeteria, waiting halls and other facilities at Patna Junction,” Sanjay said.
“The steps, including the installation of escalator and construction of waiting hall, have been taken to provide a better experience to the passengers,” said Nilesh Kumar, railway director at Patna Junction.
Passengers too were elated with the introduction of the new facilities. One such passenger, Shayantani Banerjee from Kolkata, said she never imagined Patna Junction to look so beautiful and have so many amenities.
“I am stunned. The junction looks so clean. Also, I heard that the railways has launched Humsafar mobile application which will be really helpful to passengers,” she said.
The Union minister also laid the foundation stone for a new premium ‘pay and use’ complex at the junction. Sources said the construction of the complex with bathing and changing facilities along with a coffee lounge would commence soon on public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.
The railways has already completed an ambitious beautification plan for Patna Junction with an expenditure of Rs 5 crore. “National Institute of Technology (NIT)-Patna has designed the new station building structure,” the CPRO said.
Numerous upgradation and beautification work, including Madhubani painting on the walls, LED lights in the waiting room, improved flooring and seating, have been done at the junction over the past few months.
Besides, facility of lactation room has been provided to lactating mothers where they can comfortably feed their babies. The broken and cracked surfaces at the platforms have also been replaced with new mosaic tiles.
The new lighting arrangements at the junction have also proved a visual delight for about one lakh passengers, who visit Patna Junction every day.
New stoppage for Patna-Mokama passenger train: Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday flagged off the Patna-Mokama MEMU passenger (63221/63222) train at Hardas Bigha roadside station on the Patna-Mokama mainline section of the Danapur division after its maiden stoppage at the station. ECR GM L C Trivedi, Danapur DRM Ranjan Prakash Thakur and many other senior railway officials were present on the occasion.