A new passenger entry has opened at Ahmedabad’s Kalupur railway station as part of its redevelopment, but travellers currently have to climb about 72 steps to reach the platform area from the main building being developed for the bullet train project.
The new access has been started from the southern side of the station, near the Saraspur Gate 2 area, to connect passengers with Platform 1. The reservation counter and cloakroom have also been shifted to the new building, giving passengers an alternative route and access to ticketing and luggage storage facilities.
The new staircase has been opened before the existing entry route is closed in the coming days. However, lifts and escalators in the new building are not operational yet. This means senior citizens, women, elderly passengers and other travellers with mobility difficulties may face problems while moving between the building and the platforms.
The staircase from the main bullet train building leads to the roof plaza of the new station building. Passengers must then continue towards the foot overbridge before reaching the platform they need. Until the lifts and escalators become operational, the route will therefore involve both a steep climb and additional movement through the station complex.
The changes are part of the wider redevelopment of Ahmedabad railway station, which is intended to reorganise passenger movement and reduce congestion around the premises. The new building is expected to provide an alternative entry and exit arrangement, while the relocation of the reservation counter and cloakroom is intended to distribute passenger activity across the redeveloped facilities.
The station redevelopment also involves changes to access routes and circulation within the premises. The new entry is expected to help manage passenger movement and reduce crowding at the station. The reorganisation is also expected to ease vehicle congestion and traffic pressure around the station as additional entry and exit routes become available.
For now, the accessibility gap remains linked to the unfinished vertical circulation facilities. Passengers using the new route will have to rely on the staircase until the lifts and escalators are commissioned. The report by Gujarat Samachar said these facilities are expected to start in the coming days, after which passengers will have an easier connection between the new building, the roof plaza, the foot overbridge and the platforms.
