In a historic initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the length and breadth of the country on Sunday via video conferencing.
The PM has often laid stress on provision of state-of-the-art public transport. Noting that the railways is the preferred mode of transport of people across the country, he has emphasised on the importance of providing world-class amenities at railway stations. Guided by this vision, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme was launched to redevelop 1,309 stations across the country.
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As part of this scheme, the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 stations is being laid by the PM. These stations will be redeveloped at a cost of more than Rs 24,470 crores. Master Plans are being prepared for development of these stations as ‘City Centres’, with proper integration of both sides of the city. This integrated approach is driven by the holistic vision of overall urban development of the city, centred around the railway station.
These 508 stations 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 and 13 in Karnataka, among others.
The redevelopment will provide modern passenger amenities along with ensuring well designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well designed signage for guidance of passengers. The design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture.