Ludhiana railway station to get French makeover

Ludhiana: With the French government signing a pact with India to develop Ludhiana and Ambala railway stations, residents can expect a completely different rail experience. According to the agreement, French company 'Alstom' will manufacture 800 electric locomotives of double the horsepower than the ones being used in India.
The project, which involves investment of Rs 1,300 crore, comes as a shot in the arm for Ludhiana railway station, which, despite being a high revenue generating station of the Northern Railways, lacks in basic amenities like clean drinking water, waiting room for women, cleanliness, seating arrangements on platforms, food items and rail inquiry system.
Yashwant Singh, railway superintendent said, "Modernizing Ludhiana railway station would be good for commuters, who will have more facilities. Use of international technology will give us better results. There will be change in policies and infrastructure and the problem of sanitation will be resolved."
Meanwhile, city residents look forward to the new avatar of the Ludhiana railway station. Deepak Kumar, a college student from Phagwara said, "I travel by train every day but have to face many problems like delays and less availability of trains. With the new initiative, there will be more trains and we won't face problems."
Remodelling of the Ludhiana railway station in French style is expected to ease travel for many. Tripti Wadhwan, a commuter, said she hoped the station would become more accessible for people with disabilities. "There should be facilities for handicapped people. The railway station should be modernized in such a way that people will disabilities have enough seating arrangements and washrooms," she said.
Chetan Lekhi, another hapless commuter said, "I am a daily commuter and have been facing problems of delay in trains and lack of clean washrooms in trains and on platforms, besides less availability of trains. The authorities should increase facilities." However, they feel modernization of the railway station will be successful only if people are responsible enough to maintain cleanliness.