Bengaluru, March 13:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the world's longest railway platform of 1.5 kilometres at Sri Siddhaarooda railway station in Hubballi in the Indian state of Karnataka. The second-longest platform is in Gorakhpur city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh measuring 1,366.33 metres. Meanwhile, the third-longest platform is at Kollam Junction in Kerala measuring 1,180.5 metres.
Modi also flagged off the Hubballi-Secunderabad Jn Express train with electric engines, inaugurated new campus of IIT in Dharwad city and dedicated several other projects along with the world's longest railway platform, Hubballi-Dharwad. He dedicated IIT Dharwad campus to India for which the foundation stone was laid by him in February 2019.
PM unveiled the platform during his visit to Karnataka. The inauguration ceremony also saw the presence of Indian Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. It should be mentioned that the Hubbali station of Indian Railways' South Western Railway Zones is now listed as having the world's longest platform in the Guinness Book of World Records.
An investment of Rs 20.1 crore was made to build this platform as part of the railways' initiative to renovate stations.The construction began in February 2021 and is now finished. The station connects Hosapete (Gadag side), Vasco-Da-Gama/Belagavi, and Bengaluru (Davanagere side) and is a crucial crossroad in Karnataka (Londa side).
The aspirational project was very crucial to better meet the city's rising needs. Three additional platforms have been added to the existing five.
Platform No. 8, at 1507 metres, holds the record for being the world's longest railway platform. Two trains with electric engines will simultaneously depart from this longest platform. It will make it possible for trains to run in both directions.
The Indian PM also inaugurated a 118-kilometer Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway. The region's social and economic development is anticipated to benefit from this new Rs. 8,480 crore project. It will cut the distance between the cities' travel times in half, to roughly 75 minutes.