Fact Check: Will New Delhi Railway Station Be Shut Down For Redevelopment Work?

New Delhi: Is New Delhi railway station, located in the national Capital’s Paharganj area, set to be shut down for redevelopment work?

According to some media reports, the super busy railway station ib central Delhi was scheduled to close temporarily due to redevelopment, as part of a renovation plan.

The reports claimed that there was a plan in place to shift impacted trains, which originated from New Delhi station, to nearby railway stations such as Anand Vihar, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Cantonment and Sarai Rohilla.

However, the Union Railways ministry clarified on Monday that New Delhi Railway Station will not be shutting down by the end of this year for redevelopment work.

“It is to announce that New Delhi Railway Station will never be shut down,” a statement from Railway ministry said.

“It may be noted that when a railway station undergoes redevelopment, a few trains are diverted/regulated as per requirement. Information about such diversions/regulations of trains is notified well in advance,” the ministry clarified.

It’s a fact that several colonial-era railway stations across India are undergoing major transformations under the Central government’s Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

This initiative aims to reshape the city-station relationship by developing or redeveloping 1,318 railway stations nationwide.

Among the 1318 stations to be developed/redeveloped in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) are New Delhi, Delhi Cantonment, Anand Vihar, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

The Railways ministry had, in September 2002, posted on social media pictures of the proposed futuristic, dome-shaped, glass building of the New Delhi Railway Station.

However, work to transform the station will be done in phases, not by completely shutting down operations.