Rani Kamalapati station in Bhopal is ready to welcome India’s 11th Vande Bharat train which will be flagged off from the railway station today. The station will serve as both a transit hub and a hangout for travellers, with everything from food courts and coffee shops to sanitary vending machines and toy trains for kids. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will greet 34 kids from the West Central Railway School when he flags off the Vande Bharat Express train from the station.
The students were selected through an art and essay competition held at their school. With facilities such as several waiting lounges, food stalls, restaurants, and retail stores, the revamped Rani Kamalapati railway station looks similar to a mini-mart.
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Several food joints and cafes have been set up at the two-floor railway station with a food court on each of its two floors. The station also has a clothing store and a kiosk selling traditional handicrafts on the top floor. It also features special facilities dedicated to women, such as sanitary napkin vending machines and a dedicated AC lounge only for women.
“There are separate AC waiting lounges for women at the station. Platforms here are also equipped with sanitary vending machines. The station will also have cubicles for mothers to breastfeed their infants at the station very soon,” Mohit Somaiya, Additional General Manager, Rani Kamalapati Railway Station.
Resting rooms, one with a capacity for 18 men, and a separate female dormitory with a capacity for 15 women have also been set up on the station’s ground floor. The railway station is also likely to be linked with a nearby metro station for the ease of passengers. The latest Vande Bharat Express train between Bhopal and the national capital will cover 708 km in 7.45 hours.
With PTI Inputs