Chandigarh, a Union territory, is the capital of Punjab and Haryana and is the first well-planned city in the country. It is famous for its architecture and urban design. Le Corbusier had prepared a master plan, from US planner Albert Mayer’s earlier draft. It is the cleanest city in the country and tops the list in per capita income. Chandigarh, Ajitgarh and Panchkula form a tri-city.

Chandigarh a Busy Railway Station –

Chandigarh Railway Station is in the Northern Railway’s Firozpur division and connects with cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Indore, Bhopal, Amritsar, Trivandrum, Ambala, Kollam, Panipat and Kalka. It is situated on the Ambala-Kalka broad gauge line. Chandigarh Railway Station (station code CDG) is among the top revenue earners for the railways. Located on the outskirts of the city on the Panchkula side, it is connected with Mohali on one side and with Panchkula on the other. Over 60 trains pass through the station every day.

The Delhi-Ambala-Kalka line was built as far back as in 1891. The Sahnewal-Chandigarh or Ludhiana-Chandigarh rail link was inaugurated in 2013.The electrification of the Ambala-Chandigarh sector was completed in 1998-99 and that of the Chandigarh-Kalka line in 1999-2000.

Passenger Amenities at Chandigarh Station –

Chandigarh Railway Station has a general railway police outpost, computerized reservation facilities, tourist reception centre, telephone booths, retiring room, waiting room, vegetarian and non-vegetarian refreshment rooms, and a book stall. The Department of Railways has decided to upgrade Chandigarh into a world class railway station. It has also decided to establish a railway university here. But whether and when these projects will be taken up remain to be seen. This is because an earlier railway-related IT industry meant for Chandigarh has been completely forgotten. The IT project on 400-acre railway land was to focus on production of signal links and anti-collision devices.

The Uncertain Metro –

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had submitted a report on the Chandigarh Metro Project to the Government in 2012. In 2014, the UT administration was trying to get central funds for it. The Rs.2,000 crore project is still to take off. The idea is to have a 37.573 km metro network in the first phase, 23.5 km elevated and 14.1 km underground. Corridor I, running from north to south, will start near Capitol Complex and go up to Mohali. Corridor II, or the east-west corridor, will start from Sector 21, Panchkula and reach Mullanpur. But whether the expensive project will be turned into a reality is the question.

Restaurants near Chandigarh Railway Station –

Some of the restaurants close to Chandigarh Railway Station include Jay Maa Sweets, Murliwala Sweets, Aggarwal Sweets, Sunil Sweets, Glassi Bar, Garg Sweets, Baithak, Mendo’s Pizza, Baskin Robbins, Om Sweets, Zaika, Vaishali Vaishnov Dhaba, Chawla’s, Citrus Café, Slounge, Jai Bharat Sweets, Raina Confectioners And Fast Food, Flavours, Kashmiri Dhaba, Barista, Juice Lounge, Oki Doki, Red Salt, Kylin Experience, Choko La, Hurry Curry Express, Ni Hao, Brooklyn Central, Monica’s Kitchen & Kaffe, Mocha, and Dunkin’ Donuts.

The Chandigarh Cuisine –

Chandigarh’s food is Punjabi food. Wheat rotis, paranthas and naan form the main base with a lot of ghee, butter cream and cheese. Tadka pulses are common and so are the vegetables with a lot of gravy made of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and spices. And there can only be one beverage in Chandigarh: the lassi. Popular vegetarian dishes are makki di roti, sarson ka saag, dal makhni, kadhi, chhole, palak paneer, vegetable parantha, and baingan da bhurtha. The favored non-vegetarian dishes include butter chicken, chicken tikkas, and Amritsari fish. The favourite sweet dishes include roh di kheer prepared by boiling rice in sugarcane juice, jalebi, malpua and baalushahi.

Trains Passing through Chandigarh Railway Station –