Five railway stations in Kerala will get a major facelift as part of the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) being inaugurated this month.
Kasaragod, Payyannur, Vadakara, Tirur and Shoranur Junction will be among the 25 railway stations being upgraded in the Southern Railway.
Apart from getting an aesthetic facade, those stations would have modern facilities, clean and spacious waiting areas, modern passenger-friendly amenities and seamless multi-modal connectivity, said Palakkad Railway Divisional Manager R. Mukund here on Friday.
Mangalore Junction will also get a facelift under the scheme. According to railway officials, the scheme envisages continuous upgradation of stations with modern facilities to cater to future needs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually kick off the ABSS on Sunday. As many as 508 railway stations across the country are being given a facelift under the ₹616-crore project.
Ceremonial functions will be held in all the six stations under the Palakkad division. Mr. Mukund said that people’s representatives, people of social eminence, freedom fighters and students would attend the functions. The students who won different competitions held as part of the ABSS would be felicitated on Sunday.
When five stations in Kerala are getting the facelift under the ABSS, 18 stations in Tamil Nadu, one in Karnataka and one in Puducherry are being considered for upgrading in the first phase of the scheme.
Railway officials said that 27 stations in Kerala were among the 93 stations identified for development under the ABSS. “This scheme will be a major step towards improving the overall railway infrastructure, amenities and passenger experience at railway stations,” said Mr. Mukund.
The scheme aims at preparation and implementation of master plans for the railway stations in a phased manner. The current phase of development will fetch such facilities as foot overbridges, escalators and lifts, uplift of circulating area, facade and waiting areas, improvement in vehicle parking area, landscaping, integrated passenger information system, better signage, better platforms with shelters, better illumination, and installation of surveillance cameras.
Railways have kept aside ₹142 crore for development of six stations under the Palakkad division. While Kasargod will get ₹25 crore, Payyannur ₹32 crore, Vadakara ₹23 crore, Tirur ₹18 crore, Shoranur Junction ₹25 crore and Mangalore Junction ₹19 crore.
Under the ABSS, eight stations are being developed in the Chennai division, four in the Salem division, two in the Madurai division, four in the Trichy division, six in the Palakkad division, and one in the Thiruvananthapuram division.
Nagercoil Junction is the only station figuring under the ABSS list in Thiruvananthapuram division. It is getting a facelift worth ₹11 crore.
