ER’s Howrah Division initiates long-pending railway underpass at Rishra

The assurance given by Eastern Railway’s Howrah Division to Rishra Municipality Chairman Vijay Sagar Mishra regarding the completion of the long-pending railway underpass at Rishra within the current financial year has brought great relief and happiness to the residents of the town. The underpass work has already been initiated.

An underpass at the Rishra railway level crossing gate has long been an urgent requirement to address severe traffic congestion caused by frequent and prolonged closures of the railway gate. Commuters are often forced to wait for 10 to 20 minutes for trains to pass, resulting in massive traffic snarls and leaving little space even for pedestrians.

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The construction of the underpass is expected not only to ease traffic congestion but also to provide significant convenience to schoolchildren, elderly residents and daily commuters. It will also help reduce accidents that occur while crossing the railway tracks. The project, however, had been delayed for various reasons.

Residents of Rishra had grown frustrated and disappointed due to the prolonged wait and repeated delays, but the assurance from the railways to complete the underpass within this financial year has come as a great relief.

Rishra Municipality Chairman Vijay Sagar Mishra said that people face immense difficulties while commuting between the eastern and western parts of the town, and the demand for an underpass has been long-standing. He further mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during her tenure as railway minister in 2009, had approved an underpass at Rishra Gate No. 3 and a flyover at Gate No. 4. However, several technical and administrative hurdles later delayed the execution of the underpass project.

Mr Mishra added that Mr Vishal Kapoor, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Eastern Railway’s Howrah Division, has assured that the underpass work will be completed within the current financial year. There are also plans to revamp the Rishra railway platforms to provide improved passenger amenities.