A 123 year old railway station serving Udvada in the Valsad district of Gujarat is all set to get a makeover. The Udvada station – that acts as a gateway to the Atash Behram or Iranshah, among the oldest and holiest fire temples for Zoroastrians in India – will be remodeled by Western Railways (WR) to become a “pilgrimage destination station” reports Rajendra Aklekar for Mid-Day.
The railway station was originally built in 1895 and owing to its location witnesses thousands of pilgrims visiting the agiary. However, it has been unable to handle the load, leading to several accidents. In response to this, WR had sanctioned the construction of a foot-overbridge (FOB) for passengers and upgraded the station’s platforms.
However, a new plan from the Railways seeks to change the face of the station altogether. WR has called for tenders to remodel the station with a Parsi heritage design featuring bricks, teak wood doors and and Mangalore tiles. Other proposals include murals on the walls and heritage benches and domes along with a slew of upgrades for regular facilities including toilets, drinking water and more.
Udvada is an important station and we have worked out a plan to completely revamp and convert it into a pilgrimage destination with enhanced facilities and infra. The station will get a makeover over the next year.
Western Railways’ Public Relations Officer Ravinder Bhakar