Date:05/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/12/05/stories/2006120505221000.htm

Back Rlys seeks status reports from stations to be modernised

Mamuni Das

New Delhi , Dec. 4

In order to firm up the steps required to modernise railway stations in partnership with private parties, the Railways has sought status reports from the engineering, mechanical and commercial departments in-charge of the stations.

The Ministry has asked the departments in-charge of the 16 identified stations to list details on the present status of stations, functional difficulties faced, passengers handled at present and the expected increase in passengers, amongst others. These details would be supplied to consultants who would work the plan for modernising the stations, said Ministry officials.

The Railways has decided to take up consultancy studies to develop stations into world-class stations. The tentative list of identified stations include New Delhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Station (Mumbai), Howrah, Chennai Central, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Mathura, Pune, Patna, Secunderabad and Thiruvanathapuram.

With the Railways adding a 17th station recently — Varanasi — to its tentative list of stations to be modernised, a similar work may be taken up for Varanasi as well.

In return for investing in modernisation of station, the Railways proposes to allow private parties to use the air space above platform along with construction and maintenance of operational and passenger-handling areas free of cost. The Railways would repossess the assets after the fixed duration.

This move is one of the steps taken by the Railways' to improve facilities at points of passenger interface.