Ahmedabad: Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail will traverse through Western Railway’s Ahmedabad Junction Railway Station and shall be integrated with Saraspur side of the existing Ahmedabad Junction station. Ahmedabad HSR station will be built over the existing railway lines on east side (Saraspur side) above platform no. 10, 11 & 12.

To ensure seamless integration of the HSR station with other modes of transport, NHSRCL has designed a user friendly station layout for Ahmedabad. An integrated Building for passenger transit is planned on east side of the existing railway station, where Passengers will be able to swiftly switch from one mode to another. This building will be equipped with escalators and elevators and will house many passenger convenience facilities like Booking office, Passenger lobby, tea/coffee kiosks and other amenities etc.

The integrated building shall provide connection to WR FOB’s for passengers coming from platforms 1to 9 and on other side it shall be connected to the underground metro station towards Saraspur side.

In addition, a detailed traffic management plan around the station is also proposed for smooth traffic movement outside the station. A Multimodal Transport Integration scheme shall be implemented at Ahmedabad Junction Railway Station for Smooth transition from other modes of transport like buses, taxis, three wheelers, private vehicles etc. The HSR Station forecourt is planned with one-way movement of traffic providing separate pick/drop areas for 2 Wheelers/3 Wheelers/4 Wheelers & Buses alongwith a dedicated area for Cycle Stand is also proposed. A mechanized multilevel car parking will be connected to the integrated building through a sky bridge. Differently abled persons friendly parking space will be provided close to the station entrance.

Currently, Saraspur side of Ahmedabad Junction houses various railway offices, passenger waiting area, booking office, parcel office and other similar offices. All these offices are also planned to be accommodated in new integrated building.

Concourse level of HSR station (located above platform no. 11 & 12 of existing Ahmedabad junction station) will have various facilities like retail kiosks, coffee shops, comfortable waiting areas and lounge for passengers.

The construction of HSR station over existing railway lines will be quite challenging. Along the railway tracks there are multiple utilities like signalling and telecom cables, pipelines, electrical cables, tracks etc, which are to be shifted before the commencement of the construction activities. Some other challenges for NHSRCL will be to shift functional office buildings of Ahmedabad railway station, carry out construction activities of HSR station alongside ongoing Ahmedabad Mega metro construction, moving man & machinery over existing railway lines without disrupting passenger & cargo traffic at Ahmedabad Railway Station.

Ahmedabad station will be one of the very few stations in India where various modes of transportation like conventional railways, metro, private vehicles and HSR will be connected seamlessly. An effort is being made here to set an example of efficient coordination of multiple agencies/stakeholders for passenger convenience as main objective.

DeshGujarat