E-Paper
Chandigarh railway station looking at ₹385-cr upgrade
The cost to alter the design has been estimated at around ₹385 crore and the stipulated time frame for the project has been set at 15 months. Bidding for the same will open on August 2.
The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has invited a request for proposal for the upgradation of the railway station, aimed at improving passenger amenities.
The cost to alter the design has been estimated at around ₹385 crore and the stipulated time frame for the project has been set at 15 months. Bidding for the same will open on August 2.
Speaking about the upgrades, RLDA vice-chairman Ved Parkash Dudeja said, “The city of Chandigarh has grown manifolds in the last decade. The upgradation of the Chandigarh Station is in line to support the city’s growth by providing a world class Railway Station.”
Proposed upgrades
The elongated rectangular plaza on the Chandigarh side will ensure a dedicated drop-off and pick-up movement on left and right side respectively of the central pedestrian plaza. There is a proposal to segregate vehicular and pedestrian traffic, drop-off and pick-up traffic as well as clear movement flow.
The same is proposed to be ensured in the plaza area on the Panchkula side, which is proposed to be upgraded on similar lines. A roof plaza has also been proposed for integration of the two sides. The Railway Station is also planned to be integrated with other modes of transport.
The station will be upgraded on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) model, targeted to be completed within 15 months, with the overall upgraded railways station expected in about two years.
The upgraded station will also have state-of-art lobbies, food court, paid lounge along with a component of office and retail spaces. Additional elevators and escalators shall be added to enhance capacity to carry more passengers at a given time.
This station is being developed on a modular concept wherein pre-engineered and prefabricated construction will be used, which will reduce the time taken to complete the project significantly.
The project, dubbed a “light-house project”, will have the contractor develop the scheme and once the technique is established it will be replicated on all the station development works to be carried out on the Indian Railway Network
RLDA is a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways for the development of Railway land. Earlier the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation was tasked with the upgradation of the railway station which was set to be finished by 2021. After delays due to the Covid pandemic, the railway board handed the work to RLDA in April 2022.
