Railway launches Rs.5,000 cr stations' upgrade

Injecting a major facelifts to railway stations across the country, the Indian Railways has launched station upgrade project entailing an investment of Rs.5,000 crore, claimed an official spokesperson, adding that out of the targeted stations, 68 of them will be upgraded in the next one year. Alongside, the railway is reworking the conditions proposed for private participation to make station redevelopment a more attractive proposition. The railway ministry has already made the budgetary allocation to the zonal railways and has instructed them to ensure that the work is wrapped up within the current financial year. Lion share of funs is being spent on creating infrastructure like flooring the platforms and refurbishing the walls, installing elevators and construction of a modern facade making them look as swanky as airports for which the departments have already started the exercise of hiring architects. The stations to be upgraded in the first phase included Pune, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Shimla, Mathura, Valsad, Ambala, Varanasi and Dehradun. The zonal railways will upgrade the existing structures, provide air-conditioning in waiting halls and food courts, build foot over bridges, increase passenger amenities and put up new facades at station entrances, said official sources.