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World-class Indian Railways stations: Indian Railways up for a big infra upgrade! In the coming years, many stations across the country will boast airport-like makeovers with a slew of modern features. The Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) is currently undertaking the beautification and redevelopment work of several railway stations. Interestingly, there are plans to transform as many as 110 railway stations into swanky hubs in the near future. Out of these 110 stations, 60 railway stations are being redeveloped by the IRSDC while the remaining 50 stations are being transformed by the Railway Land Redevelopment Authority (RLDA). Take a look at the top 10 railway stations, which are being transformed into world-class hubs:
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Habibganj station: The Habibganj railway station in Madhya Pradesh is slated to become Indian Railways' first world-class railway station. Besides, a pod hotel at Habibganj is also being planned for passengers in transit who want accommodation to rest for two-three hours. Once developed, the station will have a glass dome-like structure at the entrance, a dedicated concourse area, a plush waiting lounge, world-class interiors, and many other facilities.
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Gandhi Nagar station: The Gandhi Nagar station in Gujarat is slated to be the first station in the country to have a 5-star hotel above the rail tracks. The hotel is likely to be run by the Leela Group and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The revamped station will have a concourse area that will consist of retail shops, food courts, etc. for the comfort of railway passengers.
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New Delhi Railway Station: The New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) in the national capital will be converted into a world-class railway station by RLDA under the PPP mode. An estimated cost of Rs 6,500 crore is likely to be spent on its revamp. The upgraded station will have segregated arrival and departure gates. Also, an elevated concourse will be developed and the existing station building will be refurbished and all the 16 railway platforms will be renovated.
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Chandigarh station: The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the redevelopment of Chandigarh station into a world-class hub has already been invited. It is a Rs 131.40 crore project. Similar to airports, railway passengers departing from or arriving at the revamped station will have to pay a nominal user fee which will be integrated with the charges of their train tickets.
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Anand Vihar station: The Anand Vihar station in the national capital is being redeveloped by IRSDC. Last month, it was reported that the station is being awarded on the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode. The revamped station will be environment-friendly and the arrival/departure of the passengers will be separated so that there is conflict-free movement between the passengers.
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Gwalior station: The Gwalior railway station in the state of Madhya Pradesh will be redeveloped by IRSDC. An amount of Rs 240 crore is likely to be spent on the station redevelopment and the proposed site area for the redevelopment is around 2,30,425 sq metres. Under this project, the new entry/exit blocks will be redeveloped in contrast with the heritage building, highlighting the unique heritage building more.
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Surat station: The Surat railway station in Gujarat will be transformed into a swanky multi-modal transport hub by IRSDC. It will boast many features including a modernized station building, wide station lobby, bus terminal, big ticketing hall, modular passenger-friendly concourse, new platforms as well as boarding areas connecting bridges, airport-style food plazas, and retail areas, retail and commercial office spaces, etc.
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Amritsar station: Led by IRSDC, the redevelopment work at Amritsar railway station will be carried out through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The station is expected to be transformed into a world-class station at a cost of Rs 300 crore. Once fully revamped, the entry to the station will be made through a concourse, which will have sitting spaces for passengers. There will be security gates for departing passengers, proper lighting, signages, and many other modern amenities.
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Bijwasan station: The Bijwasan railway station in Delhi will be redeveloped by IRSDC using the EPC mode. The revamping of the railway station would be carried out over a period of three years at an estimated cost of Rs 270.82 crore. The redeveloped station will have separate arrival/departure areas. The station will have airport-like facilities including shops, food stalls, a modern waiting area, etc.
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Sabarmati station: The redevelopment will be carried out with the theme of the famous Dandi march (salt movement) led by Mahatma Gandhi. For easier passenger movement, the project aims to revamp and link the existing two Sabarmati stations namely, Sabarmati station-meter gauge and Sabarmati Junction station-broad gauge. The country's first Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is expected to pass between the two stations.
