PATNA: Five railway stations of East Central Railway (ECR), which is headquartered in Bihar's Hajipur, have been included in the list of 123 others to be revamped as world-class railway stations under the Station Redevelopment Project of Indian Railways in Public-Private Partnership Project.
The five selected stations are Gaya, Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Muzaffarpur, Begusarai, and Singrauli.
The stations will be equipped with solar energy, energy efficiency equipment, and developed as per 'green building' standards.
Chief spokesperson of ECR, Rajesh Kumar, said that the main objective of the station redevelopment initiative is to provide safety, a pleasant travel experience, and world-class amenities to the passengers.
Kumar said that the malls and multipurpose buildings will also be built on railway land, adjacent to the selected railway stations.
“Redevelopment of the Gaya station has been planned keeping its significance both as a religious and tourist hotspot in mind," he said.
Gaya station's redevelopment is estimated to cost approximately Rs 173 crore. The entry and exit gates for the arrival and departure of passengers at the station shall be designed in a manner to avoid crowding.
Access control gates will be installed at the station and escalators and lifts will be installed on each platform for the convenience of the passengers.
“Essential facilities provided to the passengers will include catering, washroom, drinking water, ATM, internet and others. This will especially benefit senior citizens along with common passengers,” Kumar added.
Similarly, Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Muzaffarpur Junction, and Begusarai station will also be redeveloped. Improved passenger facilities will also be available at these stations with sufficient parking space, with underground or multi-storey parking facility.
The surrounding areas of these junctions will be turned into fully protected zones.