New Delhi\, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj stations to be revamped; cost pegged at Rs 6\,600 crore

New Delhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj stations to be revamped; cost pegged at Rs 6,600 crore

According to V K Yadav, chairman of the Railway Board, an investment between Rs 5000 crore and Rs 6,642 crore is expected for the New Delhi Railway Station while the CSMT is expected to get Rs 1,642 crore

The Indian Railways, as part of its station redevelopment plans, is expected to invite tenders to upgrade two of the most used railway stations in the country- New Delhi Railway Station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai. These stations may get an investment of over Rs 6,600 crore if the government's plan goes through.

Both of these station stations handle hundreds of trains and several lakh passengers daily. "The proposals to redevelop New Delhi and Mumbai (CSMT) stations are under consideration of the Public-Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) under the Ministry of Finance. Within 10 to 15 days, we will be inviting tenders for these stations," said V K Yadav, chairman of the Railway Board, according to Business Standard.

According to Yadav, an investment between Rs 5000 crore and Rs 6,642 crore is expected for the New Delhi Railway Station while the CSMT is expected to get Rs 1,642 crore.

To payback for the investment, once redeveloped the railway station will be introducing user charges on passengers and visitors, similar to airports, as one of the main methods of revenue generation. Nine companies have been shortlisted so far for the redevelopment plan of the stations - Nagpur, Gwalior, Amritsar and Sabarmati - on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The companies that were shortlisted include GMR Business and Consultancy, G R Infraprojects, Kalpataru Power Transmission, Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Holdings, ISQ Asia Infrastructure Investments, Monte Carlo, JKB Infrastructure, Kalyan Toll Infrastructure, Cube Construction Engineering. Yadav said that the government will make the final decision in the next two months.

"The major projects lined up include the commissioning of the dedicated freight corridor by December 2021, upgrading of high-density networks (HDN) to 130 kilo meter per hour (kmph) by March 2023, doubling and electrification of all HDN and highly utilised networks (HUN) by March 2024 and further upgrading all HDN routes to 160 kmph capacity by March 2025," Yadav added.Also Read: Air India calls financial situation challenging, leave without pay 'win-win situation'