Chandigarh railway station has begun its longest-ever disruption. For 36 days, running till October 15, lines and platforms at the station will shut in rotation. The work is part of the station's redevelopment project, and it will cost passengers 442 train trips.
The disruption started on Thursday. During this period, passengers will face problems on almost every visit to the station through mid-October. Trains are being cancelled, and platform access will keep changing as work progresses.
Why Chandigarh Railway Station Is Shutting Down Lines and Platforms
Northern Railway is building the station's new through-roof. At the same time, the existing foot-over-bridge is being dismantled. Both jobs need space above and around the tracks, so lines and platforms must be closed in rotation instead of all at once.
The work falls under the Rail Land Development Authority's (RLDA) redevelopment project. The project aims to turn the station into a world-class multimodal hub. The ₹462-crore redevelopment has been under way for over three years and is now more than 90 per cent complete.
Four Missed Deadlines and a Long-Pending Project
This is not the first time the project has run late. The redevelopment has missed four deadlines so far. The tender was floated in September 2022 and awarded in November 2022. Construction began in January 2023.
The scale and duration of the current block mean the disruption is spread across weeks, not days. For regular commuters, this means checking train status before every trip and expecting changes at the station.
- 36 days of disruption, ending October 15
- 442 train trips lost
- Lines and platforms shutting in rotation
- New through-roof being erected, old foot-over-bridge being dismantled
- Project cost: ₹462 crore, over 90 per cent complete
- Four deadlines missed since work began
Our Take: A Needed Upgrade With a Heavy Passenger Cost
To put it plainly, the redevelopment is necessary. A station handling this much traffic needs better infrastructure, and a multimodal hub will help in the long run. But the way this disruption is landing on passengers is hard to defend.
Four missed deadlines already told us the project was running behind. Now the final stretch is being paid for by people who just want to catch their train. In our view, the railway authorities should have planned this block better — shorter phases, clearer alternatives, and advance information for daily commuters.
If you travel from Chandigarh railway station in the coming weeks, do not assume your usual train is running. Check before you leave home, reach early, and expect platform changes. The station will be better when this ends — but until October 15, it will be a daily test of patience.