Ghaziabad: The long-delayed revamp of Ghaziabad railway station has missed yet another deadline, with work still far from completion more than two years after it began.The project was launched in Jan 2023 with a 30-month timeline, setting a completion target of mid-2025. In May last year, the executing agency reset the deadline to Feb this year. That deadline has now also slipped. Officials said progress on the ground remains limited, with only 40% of the work completed so far, most of it away from the core station area.“So far, the work has largely been confined to staff quarters and the outer periphery,” an official associated with the project said. “The actual redevelopment of the main station building is yet to begin.”The delay reflects the complexity of rebuilding a railway station that sits on the Delhi–Howrah trunk line. More than 200 trains pass through Ghaziabad every day, and the station handles an average daily footfall of at least 50,000 passengers. Officials acknowledge that carrying out large-scale construction without disrupting rail operations remains the biggest challenge.The existing station, a British-era structure spread over nearly 1.5 lakh square metres, is being dismantled in phases. Demolition of old quarters and ancillary structures has been completed, a process that also involved the felling of over 190 trees, according to officials.Once completed, the project aims to transform the single-storey station into a modern three-storey complex. Plans include new foot overbridges with ramp access, escalators, automatic ticket vending machines and a 24-metre skywalk linking all six platforms. Two additional foot overbridges are also proposed to ease passenger movement.The redevelopment blueprint also features multi-level parking, a dedicated lane for e-buses within the station premises, a Signal Training School and 96 new railway quarters. Authorities said the upgrades are critical as Ghaziabad’s transport network expands, with rapid rail services under development and metro connectivity already in place.Ghaziabad station is among 508 stations nationwide being redeveloped under the Centre’s Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
