Northern Railways converts abandoned building into community centre

The Northern Railways, in an innovative initiative, has converted an abandoned building at the Farukhnagar railway station into a 'rail choupal' or community centre, a statement from the Railway Ministry said.

Built in 1873, the railway station in Gurgaon district of Haryana has been recently renovated and the centre which is within its premises has WiFi that is being used by villagers.

The Railways is also developing a park nearby. It is here that villagers can avail medical care for free of cost as well, the statement said.

They can avail the routine health check-up facilities like ECG, blood and urine test.

This work is being done under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme.

The chairman of the Railway Board on Saturday flagged off a steam engine between Farukhnagar and Garhi Harsu to connect the villages.

This facility is available weekly and the cost of one way journey is only Rs 10.

The steam train is being hauled by the recently revived Azad steam locomotive.