Title - Drive-in platform at Bhopal station by yr-end

BHOPAL: The city of lakes will join the league of metros--Mumbai and Kolkata-- after drive-in platform at the main station of the railway division of West Central Railways (WCR) comes up, expectedly at the end of year.The new platform No. 6 is coming up at the cost of around Rs 9.5 crore as part of the plans to turn main station into model one, officials said. Right now, Mumbai and Kolkata are having drive-in platforms, officials added."The work of platform without a roof cover is going at a fast pace, officials said. "Once it is constructed, we will see response. Thereafter, we are going to add many features to it," they said.Apart from number No. six platform, efforts are on to lay a new foot-over-bridge from platform No. one to six at an estimated cost of Rs 4.5 crore as part of the main station up-gradation plan, officials said."Under up-gradation plan, we are also expanding platforms- Nos. 4 and 5 by spending Rs two crore," they said, adding that after the two platforms can take 24 coaches. Now, these two platforms have the capacity to take 16 bogies each, they added.Two new lifts would also come up in the main station, officials said."Also, efforts are underway to the parcel office to a new place from platform number one for increasing the circulation area," officials said.A new heavy vehicle parking too has come up behind the Railway Protection Force (RPF) station.