Chandigarh railway station to be revamped! The Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) under Indian Railways is all set to redevelop the Chandigarh railway station into a world-class transport hub on the lines of airports across the country. The Request for Proposal or RFP has already been invited for the Rs 131.40 crore project, an IRSDC official told Financial Express Online. The completion period for the project is 24 months or 2 years from the date of awarding the contract.

The Chandigarh railway station redevelopment project will be awarded on an EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) model. Once the station is fully revamped, passengers arriving at or departing from Chandigarh station will have to pay a user fee which will be integrated with their train ticket charges. The concept of user fee is similar to airports, however in case of Indian Railways is expected to be nominal.

One of the main features of the redeveloped Indian Railways stations under IRSDC is that they will have separate gates for arrival and departure, similar to airports. The newly revamped stations will also have airport-style retail spaces for better travel experience of passengers waiting for trains.

Chandigarh railway station redevelopment: Key features

  1. Comfortable and adequate waiting space
  2. Airport-style concourse above the railway tracks. This will act as the holding area for departing passengers. Arriving passengers will use the subways.
  3. Modern train operations and maintenance infrastructure
  4. Shops food stalls and other facilities for quality waiting time
  5. Adequate escalators and stairs for the convenience of passengers
  6. 100% Divyang friendly; tactile and braille guidance for visually impaired
  7. Emergency evacuation in case of fire/accidents; integrated security systems with modern technology
  8. Environment-friendly design with adequate capacity for future growth
  9. Signage, maps and train information systems for guidance of passengers; space planning in logical order of passenger requirements
  10. Integration with public transport

IRSDC is redeveloping railway stations across the country with private sector help. The first two world-class railway stations by IRSDC will be the Habibganj railway station in Madhya Pradesh and the Gandhinagar railway station in Gujarat. Both the stations are expected to be ready by end of 2020.