SHIVAMOGGA: Fifty-two railway stations in Karnataka have been selected under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme which envisages their development on a continuous basis with a long-term vision. If everything goes as planned, these stations will be developed as city centres too.
The stations come under the Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hubballi divisions of the South Western Railway (SWR). The scheme aims at upgrading stations functioning not just as a place where people come to board the train, but also as city centre.
SWR Chief Public Relations Officer Aneesh Hegde told TNIE that there was a scheme called Adarsh Stations which was meant to provide minimum essential amenities at the identified railway stations. “The vision of the PM is that stations are not just places for boarding and deboarding trains but they should emerge as city centres where retail outlets, food courts, infotainment, and leisure will be encouraged,” he said.
Sources said that seamless multi-modal connectivity and strengthening of access roads around the stations enable them to function as the city centre, act as a driver of the local economy and facilitate transit-oriented development.
To meet the objectives, a broad scope of work is envisaged which includes rebuilding, improvement and augmentation of the station building to provide an iconic structure with modern state-of-the-art facilities and futuristic design with a 40-60 year horizon.
The scope of the work includes the upgradation of connectivity to the stations for smooth traffic flow in coordination with the state government/ local bodies for widening, strengthening or creating new roads, pedestrian paths, cycle paths, skywalks and bridges etc. to improve accessibility and modal integration.
Inside the station, passengers will be provided comfortable minimal queuing, movements, waiting and availing facilities like ticketing, tapped potable drinking water, toilets and retail etc. The complete upgraded station complex shall be Divyang-friendly. Upgraded railway stations shall have elements of sustainability.