Indian Railways is currently working on the redevelopment of 123 stations with the participation of private player via the Public-Private Partnership mode, a statement has claimed.
The Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) is working on the redevelopment of 63 stations and the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) is working on 60 stations.
Total investment for these works and the associated real estate development is estimated at around Rs. 50,000 crores. The redeveloped stations are expected to get facilities at par with airports, will serve as multi-modal transit hubs and provide for commercial development to bring in revenues.
Habibganj and Gandhinagar Station Redevelopment Progress Review
Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, reviewed the progress of Habibganj and Gandhinagar Railway station. He appreciated the work being done for the projects by the executing agencies. Goyal also advised that lessons learnt during the redevelopment of these stations should be taken into view during the design and construction of future projects.
Habibganj Railway Station is being redeveloped under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode by IRSDC. The station will have features like segregation of passengers based on arrivals and departures, for congestion-free movement at the concourse and platforms. Ample sitting arrangement at platforms, concourse, lounges will be available. Dormitories and retiring rooms, adequate parking and divyang friendly amenities like lifts, escalators, travelators will be provided.
The latest safety, security and information features access control, scanning machines, modern signage and information displays are a fundamental part of the new station premises. The station is being developed as per LEED Green Building norms with the use of solar energy, energy-efficient equipment, wastewater treatment for reuse.
Gandhinagar station is being developed by Gandhinagar Railway and Urban Development (GARUD), an IRSDC and Govt of Gujarat special purpose vehicle. The first of its kind project will have a 5-star hotel above the station area right above the railway lines.
The station has a column-free platform roof spanning 105 meters, the largest on Indian Railways. Like Habibganj, this station has been redeveloped with all modern amenities for a better passenger experience.
Key stations under redevelopment are Nagpur, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus & Ajni stations in Maharashtra; Habibganj & Gwalior Stations in Madhya Pradesh; Gandhinagar & Sabarmati station in Gujarat; Ayodhya & Gomti Nagar stations in Uttar Pradesh; Safdarjung & New Delhi stations in Delhi; Tirupati & Nellore stations in Andhra Pradesh; Dehradun in Uttarakhand; Amritsar in Punjab; Ernakulam in Kerala and Puducherry in Union Territory of Puducherry.