Bolpur Railway Station to get a world-class facelift
The Gateway to Tagore’s land will soon get a big facelift as Bolpur Railway Station is one of the 10 railway stations in India that has been chosen to be developed as a world-class Railway Station. It will get the look and feel of an airport. Considering several foreign tourists visit Santiniketan, just to be in the land of Rabindranath Tagore’s Visva Bharati and in the land of Bauls, this initiative will definitely bring Bolpur and its adjacent areas to better prominence on the global tourism circuit.
Around 300 crores will be spent for the uplift of the station. There will be world-class platforms with amenities that one finds in airports. Like escalators and lifts for the elderly travellers as well as special bridges for the specially-abled kids and adults. A proper restaurant, rest rooms will also be developed. The entry and exit gates will be separate with proper CCTV surveillance. A special AC glass retiring room will be created from where travellers can easily see the trains coming in and leaving. Special boards will be hung that will show computerised train time tables. A big shopping mall will also be part of the station where local artisans can sell their goods and anyone can buy artefacts and mementos as well as textiles from the mall. Eastern Railway’s Chief Engineer Ashish Bharadwaj said: “Other than Bolpur we are also developing Asansol, Bhagalpur and Howrah.” Kolkata, 13 September, 2017
The Bolpur Railway Station already has a place to visit --- the Gitanjali Rail Museum, in front of Bolpur (Shantiniketan). It is a tribute to Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore. It’s a two-storied state-of-the-art museum having an area of 1830 square meter resembling the UDAYAN building of Uttarayan complex in Santiniketan Ashram. Ground floor of the museum houses the railway Saloon Car in which the ailing Kaviguru had undertaken his last train journey from Bolpur station to Kolkata in July, 1941 leaving his Santikenation Ashram forever. The poet died on 7th August, 1941 in Kolkata. Eastern Railway has preserved the Saloon Car as it is as a mark of respect to the great poet. The illuminated display on an elevated gallery and up keeping of the coach have been appreciated by the visitors from all parts of the country as well as from abroad.
Besides, the illuminated Saloon Car in the ground floor, there are 35 rare black & white photographs of the poet in various mood along with 48 framed write ups of his prose & poems. There are three facsimiles of the Trust Deed of Bhubandanga of the year 1863 on which land the Vishwabharati set up later are also on display. On the first floor of the museum, there are 153 rare photographs of the poet and his prime companions in Santiniketan, the first batch of teachers of Santiniketan Ashram and various foreign trips of the poet are of immense historical and archival value. Now with a world-class railway station, Bolpur surely will get a big boost to its local economy.
