Contrary to recent reports in some media, the Ministry of Railways clarified that the NDLS will not be closed till the end of this year for remodelling work.
The Ministry of Railways on Monday (May 27) denied fake news of closure of New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) doing rounds on social media. Contrary to recent reports in some media, the Ministry of Railways clarified that the NDLS will not be closed till the end of this year for remodelling work.
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“Some media reported that New Delhi Railway Station will be closed till the end of this year for remodelling works. It is hereby announced that New Delhi Railway Station will never be closed,” the ministry said in a statement.
The statement also said that during re-routing, some trains will be diverted or rescheduled as required to accommodate ongoing operations. Officials assured that all necessary announcements regarding train diversions and rules will be issued well in advance to inform passengers. The statement said, “It is to be noted that when a railway station is being redeveloped, certain trains are diverted/arranged as per the need. Information regarding such diversion/arrangement of trains will be notified in advance.”
Fake news busted on NDLS closure
Earlier some reports suggested that the Indian Railways is set for a dramatic change, with New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) to be temporarily closed by the end of this year. This clarification comes after media reports that New Delhi Railway Station is “scheduled to be temporarily closed due to redevelopment” as part of a renovation project. Reports also suggest that plans have already been made to divert the affected trains to nearby stations including Anand Vihar, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Cantt and Sarai Rohilla.
Redevelopment of NDLS under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
Under the central government’s Amrut Bharat Station Yojana, several colonial-era railway stations across the country are undergoing a major makeover. The Amrut Bharat Station initiative aims to reshape the city-station relationship by upgrading or remodelling 1,318 railway stations across the country. The initiative covers stations in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), including New Delhi, Delhi Cantonment, Anand Vihar, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.
In September 2022, the Ministry of Railways shared pictures of the proposed redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station on X (formerly Twitter). The project includes a futuristic, domed, glass building with 40-storey twin towers, multi-level car parking and designated pick-up and drop zones. The total construction area will be around 2.22 lakh sq m.
The railways will have 45,000 sq m of office space in the twin towers, which will house offices, retail shops and a hotel. Additionally, the redevelopment will include 91 bus bays, 1,500 ECS parking spaces and skywalks for pedestrians and metro commuters.
