NEW DELHI: The redeveloped Habibganj railway station in Bhopal, which is being developed as an airport-like hub by Indian Railways, will be ready by the end of December. Officials of the Indian Railways Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) say that a lot of civil work for the project has been completed at the Habibganj railway station.
“I believe the Habibganj railway station will be completely redeveloped and ready by December-end. Work on the new concourse took more time than we expected due to the requirement of several clearances. But we are hopeful that by December-end we will be able to complete work on this world-class station,” an IRSDC official said.
Indian Railways has chosen Habibganj as the first station to be developed on the lines of an airport-like hub.
The redeveloped station, modelled on the Heidelberg station in Germany, will boast of a dedicated concourse area.
Habibganj station is being developed on the public-private partnership (PPP) model in collaboration with the Bansal Group. The project is being executed at an approximate cost of Rs 100 crore, and Rs 350 crore would be spent on commercial development in and around the station.
The station redevelopment programme is considered a pet project of the NDA government. According to the scheme, the Centre will invite private players to develop stations and provide world-class facilities to passengers at major railway stations across the country.
Apart from Habibganj, the project aims to transform Gandhinagar and Surat stations in Gujarat, Chandigarh railway station, Anand Vihar station in Delhi, and Baiyppanahalli station in Karnataka into world-class transit hubs.
World-class station
Habibganj station is being developed on the public-private partnership model in collaboration with the Bansal Group.
Key features of the new station
Pet project of NDA government
The station redevelopment programme is considered a pet project of the Modi government. Private players will play a key role in providing passenger facilities.