New Delhi: In a landmark day for the railways, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country. The redevelopment of these stations is being done under the aegis of Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at a cost of over ₹24,470 crores to the exchequer.
On the occasion, Modi said, “The redevelopment will revolutionize how rail infrastructure is imagined in our nation. It will boost ‘Ease of Living’ and enhance comfort as well as convenience. Special care has also been taken to ensure the stations are in line with local culture, heritage, and architecture.”
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A senior officer of the east central railway, Hajipur, said that master plans are being prepared to develop these stations as ‘city centres’ with integrations on both sides of the city. This integrated approach is driven by the holistic vision of the overall urban development of the city, centered around the railway station.
The 508 railway stations are spread across 27 states and union territories with 55 stations being redeveloped in Uttar Pradesh, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 15 in Haryana and 13 in Karnataka.
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The Prime Minister has often laid stress on the provision of state-of-the-art public transport. Noting that railways is the preferred mode of transport for people across the country, he has emphasized the importance of providing world-class amenities at railway stations. Guided by this vision, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme was launched to redevelop 1309 stations nationwide.
Amenities to be available at major stations
“Redevelopment of these stations envisages provision of spacious roof plaza, facilities such as food court, waiting lounge, children play area, designated space for local products, etc. The development will integrate various modes of transport with Railway Station viz. Metro, Bus, etc. and will also integrate both sides of city with station,” the railway ministry said.
Major stations being redeveloped in Uttar Pradesh
According to a press communique issued by the railway ministry, Lucknow’s Badshahnagar, Kanpur Central, and Jhansi are among the prominent railway stations being redeveloped in Uttar Pradesh. The report notes that around ₹767 crore will be spent on the redevelopment of Kanpur Central station in the course of next 3 years while ₹477 crore will be spent on Jhansi.
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49 railway stations of Bihar and 20 of Jharkhand to be revamped
ECR chief public relations officer (CPRO) Birendra Kumar said that foundation stones were laid for massive infrastructure upgrade of 49 railway stations in Bihar and 20 of Jharkhand. A majority of the stations fall under the territorial jurisdiction of the ECR. Major station to be upgraded under the scheme in Bihar are Kahalgaon, Sultanganj, Ara, Bihiya, Darbhanga, Dumraon, Gaya, Jehanabad, Bhabua Road, Khagaria, Mansi, Kishanganj, Jayanagar, Rajgir, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Sasaram, Taregna, Sitamarhi, Sonpur and Hajipur.
Similarly, major stations to be redeveloped in Jharkhand are Bokaro steel city, Chandrapura, Hatia, Gomoh, Parasanath, Koderma, Barkakana and Sahebganj.
