Surat: There is good news for railway passengers in South Gujarat. The long-standing platform shortage at Udhna railway station has finally been resolved with the commencement of operations on platform number 5.

Until now, platforms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 were functional at Udhna station, while platform number 5, located between them, had not been operational. With the official start of platform number 5, all platforms at Udhna station are now fully functional, which is expected to provide major relief to passengers, especially ahead of the upcoming summer vacation rush.

Every year during the summer and holiday season, trains heading towards North India and Saurashtra witness heavy passenger traffic. The railway administration operates several special trains during this period, but due to limited platform availability at Udhna, managing train operations had become difficult. With the addition of platform number 5, handling of trains, including arrivals and departures, will now become smoother.

It is noteworthy that redevelopment work is currently underway at both Surat and Udhna railway stations on a war footing under the station modernisation project.

As construction of a multi-modal transport hub is in progress at Surat railway station, the load of several trains has been shifted to Udhna station. In such a situation, the availability of all platforms at Udhna will prove beneficial for both the railway administration and passengers.

Railway officials said that with the opening of platform number 5, better scheduling and smoother movement of passenger as well as express trains passing through Udhna station will now be possible. DeshGujarat