The Chandigarh Railway Station is a major rail entry point to the Tri-City region, comprising Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. The station is being redesigned as a ₹462-crore revamp plan to transform it into a world-class, multimodal transit hub to suit the rising passenger needs and introduce airport-like comfort to rail travel.
A new deadline was set at October 2025 after delays, after initially being supposed to be finished by May 2024 and later revised to May 2025.
What’s Changing: Key Upgrades & Features
- New station buildings: Two new G+3 buildings are currently being built (ground + 3 floors), one on the Chandigarh side and the other on the Panchkula side, which will increase access and occupy a large built-up area.
- Air‑Concourse & Roof Plaza: The new buildings will have a huge air-concourse (72 m x 80 m) that will tie the platforms. This concourse, and a roof plaza above the platforms, will serve as a passenger transit space and retail waiting space.
- Improved connectivity within the station: The plan includes multiple lifts (around 27–30), escalators (around 10–11), and two new 12‑meter-wide foot-over bridges (FOBs)—facilitating safe, barrier-free movement across platforms and station sections
- Expanded parking & traffic flow: The increased parking and traffic flow: There will be a two- and four-wheeler parking facility of about 25,000 sqm being built. The traffic flow (drop-off, pick-up, and vehicle entry/exit) is restructured to prevent congestion to enhance commuter convenience.
- Passenger amenities and facilities: The redevelopment will involve the provision of waiting halls, AC retiring rooms/dormitories, food plazas and restaurants, retail areas, lounges, etc., such that the station becomes not only a transit area but also a comfortable, modernized one.
According to authorities, the reformed station will be developed using modular/prefabricated parts to make the process faster and quality-driven, as it represents an idea of having a vision of creating a railway station that will be used by the city in decades.
Timeline & Current Status (as of Nov 2025)
Under an EPC contract, the Chandigarh Railway Station redevelopment, which commenced in January 2023, has made substantial progress but has failed to meet its initial May 2024 and revised May 2025 completion dates. By December 2025, approximately 81 percent of the work will be done, and the finishing touches will still be made on it, including the air concourse, the platforms, and the passenger facilities. The station is still operational, and the construction is going on full throttle with modular techniques being used without any official announcement of the opening date yet.
What This Means for Travelers & Residents
- Better comfort & accessibility (once done): Lifts, escalators, barrier-free movement, and covered walkways—particularly useful when working with elderly, differently abled, or heavy-load travelers.
- Amenities galore: Waiting halls, food courts/restaurants, lounges, and retail services will enhance the travelling experience not only by taking the trains.
- Ease of traffic & parking: Huge parking and reorganized areas of entry/exit will simplify pickup and drop-off, decreasing the vehicle commotion.
- Modern infrastructure for the future: The redone station is designed to meet the estimated growing footfall, which is likely to be 1 lakh+ passengers daily by 2061.
However, at the moment, a certain inconvenience persists with the work still in progress: some lifts/escalators will still be closed, platforms or waiting areas will still be in the process of reshaping, and some sections of the station will be claustrophobic or disorderly.
Conclusion: What to Watch Next
The Chandigarh Railway Station redevelopment is a daring measure to integrate the convenience, modern design, and comfort of the passengers. The project, however, is still behind schedule but otherwise appears to be in its final phases, as massive infrastructure upgrades are already being implemented. To the people who live in Tricity and those who travel there, this will represent a cleaner, safer, and more modern way through rail.
Nevertheless, the success will be based on the completion and switching between the old and the new in a time-saving manner, and whether the new facilities will match the expectations. In the meantime, time will be well rewarded: when fully operational, the upgraded station will serve as a blueprint of what railway infrastructure will be in the rest of India.
