Modi to inaugurate restored Vellore Cantonment station online on October 11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to virtually inaugurate the restored Vellore Cantonment railway station on October 11, railway officials said, according to The Hindu. The inauguration will take place by video conference from Chennai, where Modi is expected to open other completed Southern Railway works in Tamil Nadu. The station is located beside Vellore’s 16th-century fort complex.

Railway officials said restoration work began in 2023 under a station redevelopment project intended to improve passenger amenities. The station lies between the pilgrimage destinations of Tiruvannamalai and Tirupati and is expected to provide improved facilities for long-distance travellers. The work included separate arrival and departure corridors, LED lighting, escalators, lifts, skywalks and a rainwater harvesting system.

Tiled platforms received new lights, while 25 granite benches were refurbished. Old asbestos shelters were replaced with steel shelters measuring 16 metres in length, each designed to accommodate at least 50 people. The shelters also received benches.

The ticket counter area, covering about 2,500 square feet, was renovated with granite flooring, LED lights and digital boards displaying train timings. The project also added accessible washrooms, purified drinking water, solar panels and separate parking areas for cars and two-wheelers. Lifts connected to steel bridges were installed to link the platforms.

The entire restoration cost about ₹8 crore. The station, established in the late 19th century, occupies 36 acres behind the Corporation headquarters on Infantry Road and handles about 25 trains daily. The report said its last major upgrade took place in November 2008.