Pune’s Hadapsar railway station redevelopment project, which has faced several delays, will be done under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) at a cost Rs 135 crore and has a new deadline. Now the deadline of the project has been extended to December 2024, officials have said, The Indian Express reported.
The station will have modern facilities like shifts, escalators, 12 metre-wide foot-over bridge and roof plaza and waiting rooms, among other things. The station is being redeveloped under the ABSS by the Gati-Shakti Unit of the Pune division. The project aims to have a finished station which has airport-like experience for passengers, Divisional commercial manager and public relations officer, Pune division, Central Railways, Ramdas Bhise said.
Cost of the project
The idea of the project was first conceived in 2013 to help reduce the congestion at the Pune railway station and was sanctioned in 2016. At first, the project was to be completed in March 2020. However, the deadline was missed due to lack of funds. The officials later said that the project would see completion by March 2023. As per the officials, the issues of encroachment and land acquisition also played a part in slowing down the progress of the project.
While the progress of the project saw a slowdown, its cost jumped by a lot. When it was first sanctioned in 2016, the project was expected to cost around Rs 24 crore. In 2019, its cost increased to Rs 34.71 crore and by 2021 to Rs 43 crore. Now the cost of the project has jumped to Rs 135 crore.
Project’s Progress
The Indian Express reported that the work on the extension of the platforms to host 24 coaches is finished, the infrastructure and amenities which have been promised are yet to show. A building on the site was torn down to make space for the redevelopment. Workers at the site said that they started work about a month ago.
For this project, the legal work required for the acquisition of half a hectare of private land is also underway and will be finished soon, The Indian Express reported citing officials. The new terminal will be a three-storey building.
“Booking counters, restrooms and other requirements for the railway staff members will also be redeveloped. Railway Protection Force (RPF) will be provided with a new building in the station,” an official said.