Cabinet okays Rs 10,000 crore plan to redevelop 3 major railway stations

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today approved a Rs 10,000 crore proposal of the Indian Railways for the redevelopment of three major railway stations. These include the New Delhi and Ahmedabad railway stations as well as Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, according to an official statement.

Currently work is being carried out on the redevelopment of 199 stations. of these, tenders have been issued for 47 stations. Master planning and design for the remaining is underway. Work is progressing fast for 32 stations, the official statement said.

The standard elements of station design will be:

*Every station will have a spacious roof plaza (36/72/108 m) with all passenger amenities at one place along with spaces for retail, cafeterias, recreational facilities.

*Both sides of the city will be connected with the station

*Facilities like food court, waiting lounge, playing area for children, place for local products, etc will be available.

*The stations located within the city will have a city centre like place.

*Master plan has been prepared for smooth movement of traffic, with adequate parking facilities.

*The stations will be safe with installation of CCTV and access control.

*There will be integration with other modes of transportation like metro, bus etc.

*Green Building Techniques will be used, with solar energy, water conservation/recycling and improved tree cover.

*Special care will be taken to provide Divyang friendly facilities.

*There will be segregation of arrival/departures for smoother movement