Delhi’s oldest
BREATHING NEW LIFE Old Delhi station to get swanky; golf carts, LED screens will add to station’s glamour
NEWDELHI: When the British took control of Delhi following the revolt of 1857, it was suggested that instead of Delhi, the proposed railway line connecting Howrah and then Punjab should pass through Meerut.
Aggrieved by the decision, Delhi’s traders, bankers, and aristocrats huddled together to put pressure on the administration not to divert the original alignment.
They reasoned that if Delhi was deprived of the facility, it will affect the city’s traders and be unjust to those who invested in the British Indian Railway Companies.
After a lot of persuasion, Charles Wood, the president of the board of control of the English East India Company, reserved the decision and almost 15 years after it was first conceived, the first train chugged into Delhi from Howrah at midnight on New Year’s Eve in 1867.
The train line was first established to connect the then capital, Calcutta, to its summer capital, Shimla.
It started with just two small platforms and the present building was opened only in 1903. To facilitate the laying of railway tracks and construction of the station building, a significant portion of t he northern wall of Shahjahanabad was demolished.
Delhi almost did not make it to the route, author and film maker Sohail Hashmi tells Hindustan Times, as the British wanted to punish the city for the revolt of 1857.
“Delhi was added, after great reluctance, when traders and merchants submitted petitions that Delhi was a major commercial hub... The station is built like a fortress, with around six towers which could hold canons. It was a warning of sorts against any more attempts of a mutiny,” he explained.
The station, colloquially known as Old Delhi Station, now has around 253 trains operating out of it and an average footfall of 2.5-3 lakh people every day.
Shashanka Nanda, a train enthusiast, said that though “it cannot be compared” to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station in Mumbai, it was still an example of “the most elaborate architecture” in North India, with its high ceilings, and its distinctive red and cream coloured facade.
The Old Delhi Junction, a 114year-old iconic colonial-era building, had started crumbling in recent times, is now all set to get a facelift.
With false ceilings and LED lights, large display screens, battery operated golf carts, and a garden in front of the main gates, the station is already sporting a new look.
Officials of Northern Railways said there was more changes planned for the station, including a possible colour change of the building to saffron.
“The main problem was that it (the station) looked dirty because of how long it has been in use. There were cigarette butts strewn across the floor and paan stains on the walls. People tend to litter more in dirty places, because they think the place is already dirty. Now with the renovation work going on, a lot of this has been cleaned. People also think twice before littering,” said a railway official.
The general manager of Northern Railways, Vishwesh Chaube, said that they will spend around ₹ 6 crore by March, 2018, on the redevelopment of the station, and by December 2018 they would spend an additional ₹ 15 crore.
They changed (the characteristics of) Connaught place. Now, they will do it to the station too. The glitzysteely look will kill the character of the place.
SOHAIL HASHMI, Delhi film maker
The once highly congested entrance to the station facing Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg , now has a garden and demarked lanes, which has curbed unauthorised parking and controlled traffic flow in the area. Chaube also said that they would soon engage around 10-15 contractual traffic marshals, to man the gates, and regulate traffic.
Two large screens, that display arrival and departure details, also flank the main entrance, and three others are there in and around the station. Once you enter the station, renovated ticket counters, a false ceiling with LED lights in the main hall, a large screen for the interactive route and guidance system, which gives you information about your train, public utilities in the station, and nearby tourist destinations, and battery operated golf carts, which can be hired to commute between platforms, gives the station a new feel.
However, not everybody would be impressed with the proposed “clinical” look of the station.
To Hashmi, the station was an “instrument of domination” that the British used, it was still a part of history that needs to be preserved. “They changed (the characteristics of) Connaught place. Now, they will do it to the station too. The glitzy-steely look will take away from the character of the place,” he said.
This is only the beginning, with Chaube saying that the “facia of the station” is just one of the areas they will focus on. Railway officials said that the station will receive a fresh coat of paint, which may also see the station slight change in the iconic red colour.
“It will be more colourful and will be a mix of the traditional red and some heritage colour like saffron,” explained an official. Different demarked lanes for autos, cabs and private vehicles to be enforced.
10-15 traffic marshals, engaged though a contractor, would also help regulate traffic.
A new “Deluxe Pay and Use Toilet” to be set up.
New “lighted” signages to mark all utilities around the station. 10 additional water vending machines to be provided. Childcare room to be provided in ladies waiting room. Provision of proper light to be made at dark spots in station premises; entire station to have LED lights soon.
Benches at platforms to be replaced.
Platforms which leak during rainy seasons to be fixed
CCTV cameras to be used to monitor traffic and parking.
RPF will be able make announcements about illegally parked vehicles.
The colour scheme of the main building will be reviewed and a uniform colour scheme will be decided for the entire building. This will most probably be a mixture of red, saffron and white.
Prepaid Auto/ Taxi booths to be set up in front of main porch. Dedicated parking to cab aggregators to be given opposite main garden. Pillars to be renovated with cladding, and walls and arches to be painted.
More CCTV cameras within the station, with feed available in station director’s office too.
CCTV watching staff to be deployed to monitor unauthorised vendors.
Leaking rain water pipes, drainage pits to be covered at each platform. A dedicated ladies help room to be provided
Food stalls to be provided at platform number 16.
Toilets to be constructed on platforms 1, 2, 3 and 16.
Path way for wheel chair and golf cart should be prepared on immediate basis. The construction of 2 new, wider foot over bridges in replacement of old ones. Complete renovation and redevelopment and widening of platform number 16.
Complete renovation of the facade.
Equip the entire station with LED lights.