Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid the foundation stones for the redevelopment of three major railway stations in Kerala – Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, and Varkala Sivagiri. To offer airport-like facilities to passengers, the Indian Railways has taken up the task of redevelopment of these stations.
“The redevelopment of three major Railway stations, Thiruvananthapuram, Varkala Sivagiri, and Kozhikode in Kerala, will transform the rail travel experience,” tweeted the Ministry of Railways.
Redevelopment cost of 3 railway stations
Thiruvananthapuram railway station will have a world-class transport hub with multi-modal connectivity. The project cost will be Rs 495 crores. It will have separate arrival and departure corridors. The design is inspired by regional art and culture.
Varkala Sivagiri railway station will be redeveloped at an estimated cost of Rs 170 crores. The cost for the redevelopment of Kozhikode station will be Rs 475 crores.
It is pertinent to mention here that redevelopment work of Rameswaram railway station (another station in Tamil Nadu) is already going on at a rapid pace. The cost of the project is Rs 112.69 crores.
“Furthering on Rameswaram Station redevelopment! With the completion of the topographical survey, site cleaning & a geo-technical investigation in progress, the redevelopment project sanctioned at a cost of ₹112.69 Cr. is progressing briskly at Rameswaram station, Tamil Nadu,” informed the ministry, on Twitter.
All these stations fall under the Southern Railway (SR) zone. Headquartered in Chennai, the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, the SR is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways. Created in independent India, it is the earliest of all the zones of the railways. By merging three state railways – the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the Mysore State Railway and the South Indian Railway Company, it was created on 14 April 1951.