In order to fast track the development of railway infrastructure in the country and to provide ‘world-class stations to travellers’, Indian Railways has decided to opt for a public private partnerships (PPP) model for the development of selected stations across the country.
Indian Railways has identified 50 stations for development in PPP mode by ‘leveraging the real estate potential of the land around and the air space above the stations as per the extant Government guidelines’, the Minister of State for Railways, Shri Bharatsinh Solanki, said.
However, the bidding process will start only after the Master Plan and Feasibility Report is prepared and in-principle approval of local bodies is obtained.
Some few stations that will be developed in the mode are New Delhi stations, Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) station in Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bijwasan and Kolkata the Minister said.
For other stations, preliminary activities will be taken up by Zonal Railways.
Railway station projects are primarily envisaged through private investment and Government funds are required only for preparatory works such as consultancies for feasibility reports and advisory services, for which funds are allocated from time to time, as per requirement.
Work at the sites shall commence after the ‘award of concession to the concessionaire and financial closure by the concessionaire’.
After award of concession, completion of the projects is likely to take 5 to 6 years due to the ‘complexity of work and necessity to undertake the work while keeping the station operational’.
