The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has released a new tender for the renovation of the New Delhi railway station, with an estimated cost of approximately Rs 2,500 crore. This marks the fifth occasion calls have been made for proposals to renovate the primary train station in the country’s capital city. The RLDA announced on Monday that they have invited bids for the redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station and construction of associated Infrastructure on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Mode in a statement.
The New Delhi Railway Station is a significant project where important trains such as Vande Bharat, Rajdhani, and Shatabdi start and end their journey. The goal of the project is to transform this station into a top-tier transportation center, offering cutting-edge facilities and amenities,” stated. The detailed development plan sees the station as a connected transportation center that seamlessly links rail, metro, bus, and other modes of transport, providing easy and stress-free travel for passengers, the organization included.
It was mentioned that the key features of the project consist of building two linear station structures at Paharganj and Ajmeri gate sides, an air-concourse with arrival and departure areas, waiting section, vertical movement elements like lifts and escalators, retail space, and additional amenities for passenger convenience. An elevated and at-grade road system will be constructed to ensure easy access to stations and reduce traffic congestion. In addition, platform improvements and two parcel tunnels will be built to facilitate the efficient handling of parcels, as well as parking and circulation amenities.
The upgraded New Delhi Railway station will display a contemporary and elegant design enhanced with cutting-edge technology. The statement mentioned that sustainability measures such as green building standards, solar energy, and security features like CCTV cameras and access control systems are considered throughout the station. The project must be finished within 45 months after being awarded. The tender has been released on at least four occasions previously, but had to be scrapped for different reasons. The initial tender was released in 2001-02, followed by ones in 2008-09, May 2023, and July 2023.
The redevelopment of the station has been planned since 2002, but the primary limitation for a while was the chosen mode of Public Private Partnership (PPP). In the end, the railways transitioned to the EPC mode, however, the quoted cost was significantly greater than the budgeted cost in the third tender and subsequently encountered design problems. The project faced a long-standing obstacle regarding land until last year when the railways secured approval from all land-owning agencies, including the Delhi government. One of the largest and most bustling stations in India, it manages more than 400 trains every day and sees nearly five lakh visitors. Multiple key stations in the capital city are currently undergoing renovations in order to reduce congestion at New Delhi Railway Station.