Leaking roof and defunct escalators add to commuter woes at Chandigarh station
Rainwater seeped through the newly constructed roof over the platforms at Chandigarh railway station on Sunday, while escalators remained non-functional, underscoring the persistent delays in the station’s redevelopment project. The Rs 462-crore upgrade, intended to create a world-class multi-modal hub, has missed four deadlines since work began in January 2023.
A visit to the station on Sunday evening found passengers waiting near the lifts as water dripped from the roof. Entry and exit passages were in poor condition, and the parking area was poorly maintained. Stray dogs roamed both inside and outside the station building, adding to the sense of neglect.
Project timeline and missed deadlines
The redevelopment tender was floated in September 2022 and awarded in November 2022, with construction starting in January 2023. The original contract set a 15-month completion deadline of April 10, 2024. However, work has since missed revised deadlines of December 31, 2024, October 31, 2025, and March 18, 2026. According to project officials, the work is now expected to be finished by October or November 2026.
Officials attributed the delays to the brownfield nature of the project, which requires the station to remain operational during construction. Structural works on the Chandigarh and Panchkula sides, the air concourse, and foot overbridges are complete, but drainage and platform shelter work continues.
MP Manish Tewari highlights traffic mess
Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari took to social media platform X on Sunday to call attention to the chaotic traffic situation outside the station. He noted that commuters require nearly an hour and a half to traverse the one-kilometre stretch from the Madhya Marg light point to the station, causing many to miss their trains.
Tewari stated that he had repeatedly raised the issue with the Railway Protection Force and Chandigarh Police, including DGP Sagar Preet Hooda, but “nothing is ever done and the mess becomes worse every day.” He urged Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to direct proper traffic management at the station and asked the police chief to improve coordination with the RPF.
The MP has also raised the matter in Parliament and written to the minister previously. In response to a Lok Sabha question, Vaishnaw confirmed that structural work on both station buildings is complete, while parking, other components, and platform upgrades are underway. Vaishnaw, along with then-Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu, reviewed the project recently, when physical progress was reported at 91 per cent.
Officials acknowledge issues, promise completion by year-end
Yashanjit Singh, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of the Ambala Division, said: “It’s a brownfield project and not a greenfield one due to which public inconvenience happens. But, we are fully aware of the problems and are doing everything possible to minimise the issues faced by the public.” He explained that roof leakage occurred because drainage and internal components are still being completed. No new official deadline has been fixed, but the work is likely to finish by October or November, he added.
Frequent travellers voice frustration
Anita, a regular traveller from Ambala Cantonment, said she has faced hardship due to the ongoing work for over three years. Rajeev Gupta, travelling to Shirdi with his family, said the station presents a picture of neglect from entry to platform. Chirag, waiting for the evening Shatabdi to Delhi, remarked that the work remains incomplete every time he visits, with chaos at entry, exit, and inside the premises.
The redevelopment, once completed, is expected to transform Chandigarh station into a world-class hub, but repeated delays and ongoing inconveniences have eroded public confidence in the project’s timeline.
