Bhubaneswar: The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned Rs 308 crore for redevelopment of Bhubaneswar Railway Station under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
The work for redevelopment of Bhubaneswar Railway station has been taken up for execution at a very good pace. The structural work of main side station building G+4 floors has been completed, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Parliament recently.
The foundations, column erection and girder launching works of the air concourse have been completed and the roofing work of the air concourse has been taken up, he said.
The structural work of second entry side station building G+2 floors has been completed while the works of elevated approach road and extension of foot over bridge have been taken up, Shri Vaishnaw said.
The works related with mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection (MEPF), platform refurbishment and sewage treatment plant have also started.
The capital railway station development work includes elevated approach road, which has been permitted on Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) land. The existing parking on main side of the station is in BDA land.
Further, he said, development/redevelopment of railway stations is complex in nature involving safety of passengers & trains and requires various statutory clearances such as fire clearance, heritage, tree cutting, airport clearance etc.
The progress also gets affected due to brown field related challenges such as shifting of utilities, (involving water/sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipe lines, power/signal cables etc.,) infringements, operation of trains without hindering passenger movement, restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity of high voltage power lines etc. and these factors affect the completion time. Therefore, no time frame can be indicated at this stage, Shri Vaishnaw stated.
The Railway Minister informed that Amrit Bharat Station Scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long term approach.
This scheme involves preparation of Master Plans and their implementation in phases to improve the amenities at the stations like improvement of station access, circulating areas, waiting halls, toilets, lift/escalators as necessary, cleanliness, free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘One Station One Product’, better passenger information systems, executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping etc. keeping in view the necessity at each such station, he pointed out.
The scheme also envisages improvement of building, integrating the station with both sides of the city, multimodal integration, amenities for Divyangjans, sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballast less tracks, etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centres at the station in the long term.
So far, 1337 railway stations have been identified under this scheme, out of which 59 stations including Bhubaneswar Railway station are located in the State.