The construction work on a ₹385.4-crore project to upgrade the Kollam railway station and bring it on a par with airports will commence shortly.
A team of high-level officials visited the station on Friday and the work is expected to be completed in 39 months.
“Tenders have been invited for construction work worth ₹290 crore and they will be opened on June 9. Tender procedures will be completed at the earliest after examining the technical bid and financial bid. The project will ensure world-class services usually offered to air passengers,” said N.K. Premachandran, MP, who accompanied the officials.
As part of the project, two terminals and spacious building complexes will be built on the south and north sides of the railway station.
Roof plaza
The most attractive part of the upgraded station will be an air-conditioned roof plaza around 110-m long and 36- m wide connecting the two terminals. The roof plaza will have all facilities similar to an airport, including passenger lounges, restrooms, food courts, snack bars, children’s play areas and special amenities for senior citizens, people with disabilities, patients, women and expectant mothers. Escalators and lifts will connect the roof plaza to all platforms. The buildings will be designed as per ethnic architecture.
Passengers will have specific systems for departure and arrival and separate gates will be installed for the same. Additional trolleys and escalators will be set up to facilitate the movement of goods. State-of-the-art roofs with global standards will be built for all platforms and separate buildings will be constructed for reservation and office activities. Modern security systems, CCTV, latest fire safety technology, energy-efficient lighting and ventilation, help desks at both terminals, laptop and mobile charging facilities, compatible furniture, LED display boards and announcement system will also be installed
Multi-level parking
In the first phase, a four-storey multi-level car parking with an area of 12,000 sq m that can accommodate around 300 to 400 cars at a time will be constructed. Similar facilities will be provided for the parking of two-wheelers. An area of 30,000 sq m will be used for construction as part of the station development project spread across 67 acres of land.
The project also includes landscaping, gardening and tree planting. Since it has been envisioned as a green project, there will be provision for rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment plant, eco-friendly cooling system and 100% LED lights.
