The AC lounge facility at Tatanagar station is set to resume operations soon.

The AC lounge, Nest, on platform 1 has been lying idle for more than two years in the absence of an agency that can look after its day-to-day operations.

Local private agency MB Services, which currently looks after the upkeep of the station, has bagged the tender for the lounge.

“We had requested IRCTC to run the facility. But IRCTC was unsuccessful in roping in an agency. Later, we selected a local bidder,” Chakradharpur railway spokesperson Manish Pathak said on Sunday.

Pathak said the lounge was expected to become operational in two months.

The AC lounge was rolled out in 2013, but stopped functioning at the end of 2016 following the expiry of the contract with SK Enterprise.

Since then, it has been lying under lock and key.

The 1,800sqft AC lounge has two giant LCD TVs, cushioned seats, spacious toilets for men and women and complimentary newspapers and magazines. It is the first of its kind in Chakradharpur railway division.

Station director H.K. Balmuchu said the lounge could accommodate 30 persons, but its capacity would be augmented during renovation.

Earlier, a passenger had to pay Rs 17 to use the facility. A commercial officer at Tatanagar said passengers would now have pay more than that.