In recent years, Indian Railways has made significant progress in achieving its vision of modernising stations and transforming them into transportation hubs with state-of-the-art infrastructure, offering world-class amenities. So far, five railway stations have been commissioned under the scheme, with the most recent being at Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The others include Rani Kamlapati station in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhinagar station in Gujarat, and Baiyappanahalli and Belagavi stations in Karnataka. Meanwhile, more than 60 stations are currently under construction, including Mumbai CSMT, Gomti Nagar in Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Surat, Bijwasan and Chennai Egmore. Another 12 stations are under bidding, including the mega New Delhi railway station. Further, 90 projects are at announced stages, key among them being Parel Outstation Terminus, Howrah, Indore and Aligarh.
In a notable development in August 2023, the central government laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across 27 states and union territories, including 55 each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 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 at a total investment of Rs 244.7 billion.
The aim is to undertake comprehensive redevelopment of station infrastructure to enhance passenger experience as well as develop them as city hubs to foster economic growth. The developed stations will have state-of-the-art technologies, intelligent systems, green building, efficient energy/water conservation, and superior waste management. Some of the proposed amenities include an elevated concourse, multi level car parking, food courts, hotels and offices. Station redevelopment plans will also have elements of multimodal transport integration, congestion-free passenger movement, and monetisation of commercial areas around/above the stations.
Amrit Bharat Scheme
The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme has been launched by the railway ministry for the redevelopment of stations on a continuous basis. So far, 1,318 stations have been identified for development/redevelopment under the scheme. The focus is on a long-term approach that involves the preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the amenities at the stations.
State-wise, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat and Rajasthan collectively constitute 50 per cent of the total stations to be redeveloped under the scheme.
The Rail Land Development Authority has been entrusted with the redevelopment of 103 stations, while others are being developed by the respective zonal railways. These will be undertaken in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode in order to unbundle financial and construction risks. So far, over 50 stations have already been awarded on an EPC basis.
The focus is on improving station access, circulating areas, waiting halls, toilets, lift/escalators as necessary, lengthening platforms, improving cleanliness, providing free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products through schemes like “One Station One Product”, improving passenger information systems, executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, adding a provision for suitable property development in the master plans, etc., keeping in view the necessity at each such station.
The scheme also focuses on the improvement of buildings, integration of stations with both sides of the city, multimodal integration, amenities for “Divyangjans”, adoption of sustainable and environment-friendly solutions, provision of ballast-less tracks, “roof plazas” as per necessity, phasing and feasibility studies, and creation of city centres at the station in the long term.
Other facilities planned under the scheme include smooth access by widening roads, properly designed signages, dedicated pedestrian pathways, well-planned parking areas, improved lighting, high-level platforms (760-840 mm) to be provided at all categories of stations, provision of food cafeterias/retail facilities, drainage of platform areas, etc.
Key challenges
The redevelopment and upgradation of existing railway stations are complex in nature. Since most of these stations are operational, the work must be carried out without compromising passenger safety and convenience or without service disruption. Other challenges related to brownfield development include the shifting of utilities such as water and sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipelines, and power cables, as well as infringements and restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity to high voltage power lines. These challenges significantly impact project timelines and completion.
The way forward
Recently, the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates submitted its report in Lok Sabha regarding the progress made under the Amrit Bharat Scheme and has made several recommendations. The key considerations include a dedicated railway budget, platform standardisation and strict deadlines. It has recommended that there must be uniformity of infrastructure across stations in terms of ticket counters, washrooms, installation of fittings, CCTVs, Wi-Fi, station access, sound systems and furniture, among others. Further, the committee calls for zone-wise evaluation and mid-term analysis of the scheme.
While evaluating the scheme, the committee observed that railways do not have an earmarked budget allocation for station redevelopment, with funds being sanctioned under the broader plan head of “consumer amenities”. Further, there is no provision for the maintenance of upgraded infrastructure under the scheme. The committee has recommended that the ministry revise the guidelines and include maintenance as an integral part of the upgradation contract for a minimum period of five years. Other measures include prioritising stations located at strategic locations, such as those with higher tourist visits, archaeological importance, and proximity to the borders. The committee also suggested introducing an automation system where platform tickets can be issued through the online mode.
These recommendations and their acceptance would enhance the implementation of the scheme, ultimately resulting in the development of world-class infrastructure for railway passengers.