New Delhi railway station project first-of-its-kind! The proposed redevelopment of Indian Railways New Delhi Railway Station is a complex and first-of-its-kind project, Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The New Delhi Railway Station station will be converted into a world-class railway station, as part of Modi government’s long-term plan to upgrade the conditions of the stations as they stand now.

According to a PTI report, Goyal said that due to the complicated and unprecedented nature of the project, it is not possible to indicate a timeline for the redevelopment work. The New Delhi railway station redevelopment project has been entrusted to the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The report further quoted Goyal as saying that the project requires techno-financial feasibility studies in detail and the urban local bodies also need to give statutory clearances, adding to the difficulty in determining the prospective time frame.

New Delhi Railway Station redevelopment: What has been the progress so far?

Giving details about the work that has been done so far in the project, the Union Minister said that the RLDA has already started working on the detailed project report (DPR), the bid documents and the master plan for the implementation of the ambitious project.

New Delhi Railway Station redevelopment: Top facts about big Indian Railways project

As reported earlier by Financial Express Online, here are some of the key facts about the redevelopment project of the New Delhi Railway Station:

  1. The station will be revamped at an estimated cost of Rs 6,500 crore.
  2. Like airports, the tentative plan of the station is to segregate the arrival and departure gates.
  3. It will have an elevated concourse and the existing building of the station will be refurbished while all the 16 platforms will be renovated.
  4. An elevated access road has been proposed to be built for the station, with multiple entry and exit points.
  5. Approximately 110 acres of land will be developed in the first phase of the project.
  6. The NDLS station will have refurbished platforms and it will be easily accessible from the concourse level.
  7. A mezzanine floor with facilities for passengers, like lounges and food court, will also be built.
  8. The New Delhi Railway Station will also have a multi-level car parking facility.
  9. With the aim to make the project commercially viable for private players, the government will allow the construction of retail areas, offices and hotels.
  10. The New Delhi Railway Station redevelopment would also have some advertising spaces.