India: PM Modi launches $3 billion revamp of 508 railway stations across country

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (August 6) virtuallylaid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across India as part of the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, estimated to cost $3 billion (Rs 24,470 crore). The project is being pegged as one of the biggest infrastructure push by the government in recent years.

“India, which is moving towards the goal of development, is at the beginning of its Amrit Kaal(golden age). There is new energy, there is new inspiration, there are new resolutions. In this light, today a new chapter is also beginning in the history of Indian Railways,” said PM Modi during the address.

"Around 1300 major railway stations in India will now be developed as Amrit Bharat Railway Station. They will be re-developed in a modern way. Of these, work on the redevelopment of 508 Amrit Bharat Railway Stations begins today," he said.

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"You can imagine how big of a drive this will be for the infrastructure, Railways and most importantly for the common people of my country."

PM Modi added that all rail tracks will be electrified in the country, highlighting thatthe number of railway stations generating electricity from solar panels hadreached more than 1,200.

"Over the last nine years, we have made record investments in the Railways. More than Rs 2.5 lakh crore has been allocated in this year's budget for the Railways. This budget is five times more than the budget of 2014."

He also took a swipe at the opposition saying it was "stuck to attitude of won't work, won't let work".

A day prior to the launch, Union Railways Minister Ashwinin Vaishnaw said PM Modi was "personally" monitoring the project.

“Our prime minister is personally monitoring the progress of these railway stations. He has given inputs in designs of these stations and will be laying the foundation of these 508 stations,” he said.

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What is the redevelopment project?

Under the project, entirely funded by the central government, 508 stations, spread across 27 states and Union Territorieswill be fully revamped in two years.

Of the 508 stations, 55 will be in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 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 and 13 in Karnataka.

The redevelopment is aimed at providing modern facilities and other amenities to the passengers. Additionally, the revamp will ensure well-designed traffic circulationinter-modal integration and well-designed signage for the guidance of passengers, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

(With inputs from agencies)

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