Prime Minister Narendra Modi to virtually inaugurate restored British-era Vellore Cantonment railway station on October 11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate a restored British-era Vellore Cantonment railway station on October 11, during his visit to the State. The station is located next to a 16th century fort complex in Vellore town.

Railway officials said that Mr. Modi will inaugurate the station through video conferencing from Chennai, where he is expected to inaugurate various completed works of the Southern Railway in the State. “The Vellore Cantonment railway station is located between two pilgrim spots such as Tiruvannamalai and Tirupati. As a result, the restored facility will provide better civic amenities to long-distance travellers,” said a railway official.

Railway officials said that the restoration work, which was started in 2023, was being done under the station redevelopment project, which aims to provide better passenger amenities, including separate arrival and departure corridors, bright LED lights, hassle-free access to platforms through escalators, lifts, skywalks and a rainwater harvesting system.

As part of restoration work, new LED lights were installed on tiled platforms at the railway station. A total of 25 granite benches on the platforms were refurbished. 

Old asbestos shelters were replaced with new steel shelters in the platforms. Each shelter is 16-metre-long and can accommodate at least 50 persons at a time. Benches were also provided on these shelters for commuters.

A ticket counter area, which is around 2,500 sq.ft, at the entrance of the railway station was completely revamped with granite flooring, LED lights, and digital information boards that display train timings. Washrooms, including for commuters with disabilities, a purified drinking water system, and solar power panels were also set up. Separate parking lots for cars and two-wheelers were made.

Lifts with steel bridges were also provided to connect platforms at the railway station. The entire restoration work costs around ₹8 crore. Tucked between major railway junctions such as Katpadi and Tiruvannamalai, the Vellore Cantonment, which was established in the late 19th century, is spread across 36 acres behind the Corporation headquarters on Infantry Road.  

The station, one of the oldest in the region, handles only around 25 trains every day. The last major upgradation work was done in November 2008.