Indian Railways has opened the largest air-conditioned (AC) waiting hall at Patna Junction station! Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has given this big gift to its passengers by opening the largest fully air-conditioned waiting hall at the busy Patna Junction railway station in Bihar. This spacious waiting hall is distinct in many ways as it is well equipped with a number of modern passenger-friendly amenities.
As per the Railway Ministry statement, the spacious Patna Junction waiting hall is country’s first such waiting hall which can accommodate altogether 500 passengers at a time. The waiting room has been equipped with facilities in such a way that passengers can wait here for a long time regardless of the class of train ticket. Those passengers having a platform ticket can also enter the waiting room.
Earlier railway ministry has given
a facelift to the Patna Junction building from both ends (Mahavir Temple and Karbigahiya)
at a cost of Rs 2 crore. Amenities like LED lights, benches, platform
surfacing, food kiosks and safe drinking water have been provided
to passengers on platforms of the station these days.
The Station Director of Patna Junction Nilesh Kumar said that this
waiting room is unique as the entire power consumption of the hall is being
done only through the use of solar energy. Thus the waiting hall is
environment-friendly in terms of its power consumption and energy requirements.
Some features of the Indian Railways largest AC waiting hall are:
- The big AC waiting hall has been built on an area of 7500 square metres at the Patna junction station.
- LED lights also installed for the illumination and lighting of the entire hall.
- Steel benches, furniture and ceiling fans have been provided for the comfort and convenience of passengers.
- Seven 65 inch HD television screens have been fitted at the waiting hall. These digital screens display train-related crucial information such train timings, platform information as well as entertainment-related content for the interest and engagement of passengers. These digital screens are running 24*7.
- Free RailTel RailWire WiFi as well as mobile and laptop charging points have also been made available inside the hall.
- The walls of the hall have been decorated with paintings and traditional artwork demonstrating the local folk culture and tradition of the state of Bihar. The paintings reflect the activities of the famous Chhath Puja which is symbolic of the age-old festive celebration of the city.
- The cleanliness of the hall is being taken care of by the station staff throughout the day.
