A RAILWAY STATION'S NEW DAILY NEEDS

The New Delhi Railway Station, a colonial-era project, which turned into one of the busiest junctions of the city, has long been synonymous with chaos. After many attempts, another redevelopment plan has been announced. Will it clear the disorder, asks Ifrah Mufti

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I N 1926, a few years after New Delhi was declared the imperial capital, the East Indian Railway Company sanctioned a railway facility between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj with just one platform. This came to be known as New Delhi Railway Station. As years passed by, the modest structure found meaning in concrete and cement, with expansion plans taking shape. It now stands at the heart of the city, neatly dividing Lutyens' New Delhi with the old Delhi as one of the busiest junctions in the country.

Its 16 platforms and 18 tracks have one factor that binds them-chaos. And, in that sense, the station belongs more to the old than to the new. 'Sirji, Madamji, gaadi nikal jayegi traffic ki wajah se...' (Sir/madam, you will miss the train because of traffic), and the obvious, anxious glances at ticking clocks-that's how the station greets you. For thousands of passengers approaching the New Delhi Railway Station from the Paharganj side, the journey does not begin with the whistle of a departing train but in a gridlock of unmoving traffic, with porters knocking at the car windows to pick up luggage.

Many governments planned to redevelop the station, relocate and restructure it but nothing changed. The chaos exists. The passengers are still struggling to find a hassle-free way to the station. Once again, redevelopment plans are afoot in a bid to reduce the daily disorder.

Two tales of chaos