At least 508 railway stations in India are set for redevelopment as Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone via video conferencing on Sunday.
The project will cost approximately Rs 24,470 crore.
The chosen facilities are spread across 27 states and union territories, including 55 each 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, 13 in Karnataka among others.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said new India, which is fast moving towards the goal of Viksit Bharat, is on the onset of Amrit Kaal.
“There is new energy, new inspirations and new resolutions,” the Prime Minister said underlining that it is the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Indian Railway.
He informed that almost 1300 prime railway stations in the country will now be redeveloped with modernity as ‘Amrit Bharat Stations’ and will get a new lease of life.
Out of the 1300 railway stations, the Prime Minister said the foundation stone for 508 Amrit Bharat Stations is being laid today at the cost of approx Rs 25,000 crores.
He emphasized that the redevelopment project will be a huge campaign for infrastructure development in the country along with the railways as well as the common citizens.
Meanwhile, the 55 railway stations will be developed at the cost of approx Rs 4,000 crores in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Rs 1,000 will be allocated to the project in Madhya Pradesh, while 44 stations in Maharashtra will require Rs 1,500 crores.
Modi highlights India's achievements in Railway sector
Narendra Modi said that in the last nine years, the length of track laid in the country is more than the combined railway network in South Africa, Ukraine, Poland, the UK and Sweden.
Modi said, "The government is working to make the rail journey accessible as well as pleasant."
“The effort is to provide the best possible experience from train to station,” he said.
The Prime Minister emphasized that India has also taken the resolution to take pride in one’s heritage in the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal.
Stating that the station will showcase the local culture, Modi said that Jaipur Railway Stations will have glimpses of Hawa Mahal and Amer Fort from Rajasthan. He also used a few other places as his example.
Underlining the Railways' role in giving momentum to the economic growth of the country, the Prime Minister said that record investment has been done in railways.
Northeast to get Railway boost soon
Talking about the railway extension in the Northeast, the Prime Minister said, work is going on rapidly on doubling of the lines, gauge conversion, electrification and new routes.
“Soon, all state capitals of the Northeast will be connected by railway network,” Modi said.
He said Nagaland got its second station after 100 years.
“Commissioning of new railway lines in the region has increased three times,” he said.
Other key developments
The Prime Minister informed that in the last 9 years more than 2200 km dedicated freight corridors have been constructed leading to a reduction in the travel time of the goods train.
"Now goods reach western ports from Delhi NCR in 24 hours, a task that used to take 72 hours," he said.
"40 percent reduction in time has been witnessed on the other routes also which is hugely benefitting the entrepreneurs, industrialists and farmers," he said.
Pointing out the difficulties faced due to the lack of Railway bridges, the Prime Minister informed that there were less than 6000 railway overbridges and underbridges before 2014, but today, that number has gone beyond 10,000.
He also mentioned that the number of unmanned level crossings on large lines is now down to zero.
Speaking about the convenience for passengers, the Prime Minister underlined that special emphasis is being laid upon the needs of the elderly and divyang.
“Our emphasis is on making Indian Railways modern as well as environment friendly,” the Prime Minister said as he informed that 100 percent rail line electrification will be achieved very soon which will result in all the trains in India running only on electricity.
The Prime Minister also mentioned that the number of stations that generate electricity from solar panels has increased to more than 1200 in the last 9 years.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the government aims to produce green energy from every railway station in the near future.
He also mentioned that LED lights have been installed in about 70,000 coaches and the number of bio-toilets in trains has increased 28 times as compared to 2014.
Modi underlined that all the Amrit stations will be built to meet the standards of green buildings.
“By 2030, India will be a country whose railway network will run on net zero emissions,” he added.