Title - A facelift for Bijwasan, Anand Vihar railway stations, on King’s Cross’ lines

An airspace waiting room right in the centre of the railway station, with trains chugging below, and innovative waiting lounges, are among the passenger advancements the Indian Railways is mulling over at the Anand Vihar and Bijwasan railway stations. With this facelift and more infrastructure development in the offing, the Indian Railways expects to transform the two nondescript stations and bring them up to international standards.Bijwasan and Anand Vihar railway stations are amongst the five chosen stations across the country, which will be developed on the lines of the London King's Cross and Berlin Central station. Habibganj in Madhya Pradesh, Shivaji Nagar in Pune and Chandigarh Railway station are the other stations that will developed on similar lines.At present, Bijwasan station in the Southwest Delhi is only a halt for passenger trains. Railway authorities aim to develop the station into a terminal and built new infrastructure.While Anand Vihar station has been commissioned as a terminal, the station premises will be revamped as per the new plan.The plan to develop world class railway stations was announced in the Rail Budget in 2012. "Although waiting rooms have been built, passengers prefer to wait at the platform or on foot overbridges as they afraid of not being able to hear announcements or get updates inside the waiting hall. As a result waiting rooms are found empty and platforms and foot overbridges congested. A plan is being prepared to built a central airspace waiting hall,"a railway official said.The Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) is finalising the modalities of the innovative waiting lounge. "The foot overbridge will be modified and an additional floor will be added. The first floor might be used for the outgoing travellers. Seating arrangements will be available on both the side at the lower level with air conditioned facilities," a senior official said.The consultant appointed for the Anand Vihar station will be assisted by the architect of the King's Cross station. The authorities will install CCTV cameras to continuously monitor the airspace waiting hall.Further, there would be separate walkways for the incoming and outgoing commuters to ensure minimal congestion. Architecturally designed electronic signages will also be installed at the waiting hall and other premises of the station. Travelators, disabled-friendly escalators and lifts will also be deployed at the station premises. Commercial space would also be available to rent out ATMs, office spaces, the official said.The facilities are expected to be commissioned within two years, the official said.