On Sunday, August 6, at 11 AM, the cornerstone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the nation was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, via video conferencing, under the first phase of the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. At a cost of almost 25000 crore INR, the redevelopment project will revolutionize how rail infrastructure is imagined in our nation. As tweeted by PM Modi, the project will boost the ‘ease of living’, and enhance comfort as well as convenience.
‘Special care has been taken to ensure that the stations are in line with local culture, heritage, and architecture.’, added the PM.
In all, the scheme will lead to the revamping of 1309 railway stations across the country, with an allocation of INR 24,470 crores. The project will focus on the enhancement of station accessibility, upgrading waiting areas, improving hygiene facilities, installing lifts/escalators, ensuring Wi-Fi connectivity, among others. Moreover, the scheme underscores the integration of stations with their surroundings, seamless multimodal transportation integration, provisions for differently abled individuals, sustainable and eco-friendly solutions, and a heightened focus on passenger inclusivity.
In the first phase, out of the 508 stations being redeveloped, 55 are in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh each, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 15 in Haryana, 13 in Haryana, among others.
