New Delhi, May 21 (TIWN): World-class Indian Railways stations: While focusing on upgrading its trains, Indian Railways is also looking to take its station infrastructure to another level. Under its station redevelopment and beautification initiative, the national transporter is not only upgrading the basic infrastructure of the stations but is also providing various modern passenger-friendly amenities and facilities. The transformation of the railway stations into world-class airport-like hubs is being carried out by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC). Take a look at some of the major railway stations of the country that will boast airport-like makeover in the coming years:

1) Habibganj railway station: Being redeveloped on the lines of Germany s Heidelberg railway station, Habibganj station in Madhya Pradesh is going to be India’s first world-class railway station. After the redevelopment, the station will boast a glass dome-like structure, serving as the station entrance. Designed as green building with LED lighting, the station is being provided with cafeterias, food plaza, and a plush waiting lounge. The station is being modernized by IRSDC along with a private firm, the Bansal Group. Thus, it is going to be the first station in India to be redeveloped under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model. The overall revamp work is being carried out at a cost of Rs 450 crore.

2) Gandhinagar railway station: The foundation stone for this redevelopment project was laid by PM Narendra Modi on May 2017. Once the renovation work is complete, the station will boast a dedicated transit hall with over 600 seats for passengers. The hall will also be provided with kiosks, toilets, food stalls, book stalls, and shops. A 5-star hotel is also set to come up above the station premises. The station is being revamped with a space frame structure that will cover the railway track span without intermediate support. It is being said that the structure will match the architecture of a convention hall Mahatma Mandir . The project is being jointly carried out by IRSDC and Gujarat state government at a cost of Rs 250 crore.

3) Surat railway station: The Surat railway station in Gujarat will be transformed into a multi-modal transport hub (MMTH). It will include a swanky railway station, modular passenger friendly concourse, wide station lobby, seamless boarding facilities, big ticketing hall, retail and offices space in the commercial towers, bus terminal and linking bridges among other facilities. Moreover, the MMTH will be connected to the BRTS, Surat metro and suburban network. For the development of this project, all the three levels of administration have come together to pool their lands, namely, Central government (Indian Railways), state government (Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation) and local authorities (Surat Municipal Corporation), forming an SPV named SITCO.

4) Baiyappanahalli railway station: The transformation of Baiyappanahalli station in Bengaluru into a swanky airport-like travel hub will be carried out at a cost of Rs 250 crore. The redevelopment project has been envisaged as a green landscape, above the train platforms. The station building will be designed as a typology of elliptical shapes. Also, two elliptical buildings will be set up on both sides of the station building. The station will be developed as a sustainable building including, natural ventilation, abundant light, green spaces, etc. The station will also have a modernized concourse area along with waiting areas, food courts, restaurants, retail shops, cafes, kiosks, new escalators, elevators, etc. The station will also boast state-of-the-art passenger information and display systems, fire safety and security systems.

Additionally, many other railways stations including Anand Vihar, Bijwasan, Chandigarh, Shivaji Nagar, Nagpur, Gwalior, Amritsar, Gandhi Nagar (Jaipur), Sabarmati, Kanpur and Thakurli stations are also being redeveloped.