Hyderabad station will receive a ₹309 crore complete makeover in the next couple of years with plans underway to triple the passenger capacity, parking facilities and other amenities as part of the 50 railway stations of South Central Railway (SCR) being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), informed General Manager Arun Kumar Jain on Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be virtually laying the foundation for a total of 508 stations across the country on August 6 in the first phase. Within SCR limits, there are 21 stations in Telangana, 15 in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Maharashtra, and one in Karnataka - with a combined cost of nearly ₹2,079.29 crore.
“Hyderabad station facade and landscaping will undergo a seachange. There will be passenger display boards, modern security and fire-fighting systems, segregation of arrival and departure passenger movements and multi-model interface,” he told a press conference at the Rail Nilayam.
The station premises will be transformed to handle 48,461 passengers a day from the present 28,230 passengers a day. There will be 15 lifts, 10 new escalators, huge basement area of about 10,000 sq. ft and retail area of more than 1100 sq. ft. A new 12 metre wide footover bridge, improvement of platform surface, roof, new toilets, waiting halls, etc., are on the anvil.
Most MMTS stations in the city, including the Hi-Tec City station, Begumpet and others too will get a modern facelift under the scheme. The ABSS policy formulated by the Ministry of Railways is aimed at modernising railway stations, envisaging development on a continuous basis with a long term vision like removal of unwanted structures, improved lighting, better circulating area, upgraded parking space, disabled-friendly infrastructure, environment-friendly building by use of green energy, etc
“Visible changes across these stations can be seen by the end of the financial year since tenders have been allocated for most of the works. Each stage of the execution will be meticulously monitored for timely completion,” said Mr. Jain.
‘No idea about new trains’
The General Manager also stated that he has no information about any new train being introduced, including Vande Bharat trains, in the zone this month.
“We have not received any information from the Railway Board. Until they inform us about the allocation of Vande Bharat trains, we cannot say anything,” he said. Top railway officials, including additional general manager R. Dhananjayalu, was present on the occasion.
