Cabinet nod sought for ₹4.5k cr NDLS revamp

The redevelopment of the country’s biggest railway station, which handles 450,000 passengers a day, involves the creation of state-of-the-art amenities for passengers, commercial spaces, a multilevel car park, banquets, a school, a hospital in partnership with the private sector.

A proposal for the approval of around ₹4,500 crore for the New Delhi Railway Station revamp was sent to the Union cabinet in the first week of this month, officials aware of the matter said.

The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), the implementing agency of the project, is expected to invite developers to participate in the bidding process of the project. (Representational image)

The redevelopment of the country’s biggest railway station, which handles 450,000 passengers a day, involves the creation of state-of-the-art amenities for passengers, commercial spaces, a multilevel car park, banquets, a school, a hospital in partnership with the private sector. The station handles around 160-170 million passengers annually.

A railway official said they hope to make a profit of around ₹15-20 crore from the commercial spaces. “The redevelopment will be harmonious with the surrounding development,” the official said. “It will create new space for the public [and] smooth and congestion-free connectivity [between] the station and [other]... areas. The architecture of the proposed [redeveloped] station [will be] relatable to...the Indian culture.”

The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), the implementing agency of the project, is expected to invite developers to participate in the bidding process of the project.

Officials said the work on the redevelopment project will begin as soon as the final approvals are received.

“With an aim to brief the developers, RLDA conducted a stakeholder engagement meeting with nine qualified, global and national companies this month. These included Arabian Construction Company, Adani Railways Transport Limited, Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited, GMR Highways Limited, Omaxe Limited and Elpis Ventures Private Limited, BIF IV India Infrastructure Holding,” said a second official.