The completion of this phase will pave the way for starting work on a direct access route to the station from the satellite township of Panchkula.

While the estimated time for completion of this phase of the project is stated to be about a year, availability of funds is a major factor in keeping the schedule on track.

Presently technical facilities for maintenance and repair of coaches and locomotives at the Kalka Junction are overstretched, preventing the Railways to run long distance trains from Kalka or Chandigarh. Sources add that with the upcoming facilities at the local railway station, long distance trains would originate from and terminate at Chandigarh.

Though there is a proposal to start as many as six long distance trains from Chandigarh, Railway officials say that Mumbai is expected to be the first city to have direct rail link with Chandigarh on account of greater demand as well as operational viability.

Next on the list are other southern cities, including Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Eastern cities would be considered later as there is already a direct train (Kalka-Howrah Mail) till Calcutta via Allahabad.

The washing line is being constructed parallel to Platform No.3.

Works which will follow later involve extending the three platforms to accomodate 24-coach trains. They can at present accomodate 17-coach trains. The platforms will be extended towards the Ambala-end of the station, beyond which construction of two additional platforms is proposed, increasing the total number of platforms to five.

The electrification of the Kalka-Ambala section is expected to be complete next month. Erection of iron masts for carrying high tension cables, which started from the Ambala- end, has proceeded beyond the Chandigarh station towards Kalka. Sources add that the cable-laying work has reached up to Dhulkot, the next station from here when proceeding towards Ambala.

The electrification, railway officials say, would increase the speed of the trains, thereby reducing travel time on the Chandigarh-Delhi route by 20 to 30 minutes. The track beyond Ambala is already electrified and the Shatabdi Express would be able to cover the distance in about two hours and 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, sources say that the much-hyped Shatabdi Plus, a super luxury train proposed to run between Delhi and Chandigarh, has been shelved for the time being. Non-availability of a rake on account of launching another Shatabdi express elsewhere, is cited as the reason.