Chandigarh, June 25 -- After missing two previous deadlines, the redevelopment of Chandigarh railway station is now slated for completion by October 2025. The revised timeline was discussed during a review meeting held on Tuesday, chaired by Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu. In the meeting, minister Bittu instructed officials to speed up the pending work and minimise the inconvenience caused to the public during rush hours. Around 81% of the redevelopment work is complete, and the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) aims to finish the Rs.462 crore project by October 2025. The redevelopment work, which began in January 2023, missed its first completion deadline in May 2024 and another in May 2025. No clear reason has been provided by the Rail Land Development Authority for the continued delays. Due to the ongoing project, passengers have been facing many problems, including the lack of escalators, lifts, and ramps, as well as having to walk on uneven surfaces and walk an extra 100 metres because of pick-and-dropcharges. During rush hours in the afternoon, a chaotic traffic situation is seen at the station, which has a daily footfall of over 37,000 passengers. The redevelopment project of Chandigarh railway station is being executed by the RLDA under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model. The project aims to transform the station into a modern, world-class multimodal transit hub serving the Chandigarh Tricity region. The total development area of the station is 1,92,248 sq metre, with a built-up area of 27,383 sq metre. There will be new G+3 station buildings on both Chandigarh and Panchkula sides, each covering an area of 8,367 sq metre, aimed at improving accessibility and passenger movement. A covered concourse of 72m wide and 80m long will connect the station buildings and provide weather-protected transit across platforms. Another two 12m wide foot over bridges will also be constructed for inter-platform movement. The parking will be expanded on both sides with an area of 24,515 sq metre with integrated traffic flow designs for both city sides. The station will have 30 lifts and 10 escalators for barrier-free movement. Enhanced waiting areas i.e. 1,180 sq metre concourse with 1,050 seats, food courts, retail spaces, retiring rooms, co-working spaces, paid lounges and other commuter-focused amenities. There will be a 4,000+ sq metre of commercial area, including kiosks, food outlets, and shopping spaces. The upgraded Chandigarh railway station is designed to cater to a projected daily footfall of over 1 lakh passengers by 2061. Among the key attendees included Manoj Garg (vice chairman, RLDA), Sanjeev Garg (principal executive director, Gati Shakti/Railway Board), Dhananjaya Singh (executive director, MoSR), Sanjay Srivastava (chief project director, Northern Railway), Tarun Kumar Goyal (member, planning, RLDA), Balbir Singh (chief project manager, RLDA Chandigarh), and MS Negi (director, Railway Board), among others....