New Delhi, India (6 August 2023): In a historic move, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across India, marking the initiation of the Amrit Bharat Stations Scheme. Spanning across 27 states and union territories, this massive redevelopment project, with an estimated cost exceeding Rs 24,470 crores, aims to revolutionize railway stations into modern, well-equipped hubs.
Decoding the Amrit Bharat Stations Scheme
The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is a comprehensive endeavor to redevelop 1309 railway stations nationwide. It goes beyond merely enhancing the physical infrastructure and focuses on delivering modern passenger amenities, efficient traffic circulation, seamless inter-modal integration, and passenger guidance through clear signage.
Launched recently by the Ministry of Railways in February 2023, the scheme envisions a continuous and phased approach to station development. Each station's improvement plan involves the creation of Master Plans and their implementation in stages. This transformation encompasses various aspects, such as station access enhancement, improved circulating areas, upgraded waiting halls, cleaner and more accessible toilets, lift/escalator installations, provision of free Wi-Fi, the introduction of kiosks for local products under the 'One Station One Product' scheme, better passenger information systems, creation of Executive Lounges, designated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, and more, catering to the unique needs of each station.
Furthermore, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme integrates station building improvements, connecting the station with both sides of the city, facilitating multimodal integration, providing amenities for Divyangjans (persons with disabilities), implementing sustainable and eco-friendly solutions, deploying ballastless tracks, constructing 'Roof Plazas' as needed, and establishing city centers at stations in the long term.
Redefining Station Design with Local Flavors
A distinctive feature of the scheme is the station buildings' designs, which draw inspiration from local culture, heritage, and architecture. For instance, the Jaipur Railway Station's design will incorporate elements reminiscent of the Hawa Mahal and Amer Fort from Rajasthan.
An Integrated Approach to Urban Development
The redevelopment plan adopts a holistic approach to urban development, treating railway stations as "City Centres." This approach aims to connect both sides of the city, ensuring well-designed traffic circulation, seamless inter-modal connectivity, and clear signage to guide passengers effectively.
Key Benefits of the Redevelopment/Stations Modernisation
Enhanced Passenger Amenities: The revitalized stations will feature modern amenities, including upgraded waiting rooms, improved platform seating, and free Wi-Fi connectivity, ensuring a superior travel experience for passengers.
Local Community Involvement: The redevelopment plans actively incorporate input from the local community, reflecting the essence of the region in station design and amenities.
Green Energy and Emission Reduction: The installation of LED lights in approximately 70,000 coaches, along with an increase in the number of bio-toilets in trains, aligns with India's environmental sustainability goals.
Towards Net-Zero Emissions: India's railway network has set an ambitious target of achieving Net-Zero Emissions by 2030. The emphasis on green building standards and energy-efficient practices contributes to this broader vision of environmental sustainability.
Stations Lists
The zone-wise names of stations developed under Model Station Scheme is as follows: -
Central Railway (CR): 35 Stations
Akola, Bhusaval, Chandrapur, Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus (Kolhapur), Dadar, Gulbarga, Jalgaon, Kalyan, Kurla (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus), Malkapur, Mumbai CST, Nagpur, Nasik Road, Pune, Solapur, Thane, Wardha, Lonavala, Khandwa, Manmad, Amrawati, Miraj, Ahmednagar, Matheran, Badnera, Burhanpur, Chalisgaon, Devlali, Shegaon, Betul, Ballarshah, Karad, Sangli, Satara and Daund.
Eastern Railway (ER): 51 Stations
Andal Jn., Asansol, Baidyanathdham, Bandel, Barasat, Barddhaman, Baruipur Jn., Basirhat, Bhagalpur, Bidhannagar Road, Bolpur, Bongaon, Budge Budge, Canning, Dankuni, Dhakuria, Dum Dum, Durgapur, Garia, Ghutiari Sharif, Howrah, Jamalpur Jn., Jasidih, Krishnagar Road, Kulti, Labpur, Madhupur, Madhyamgram, Malda Town, Murshidabad, Nabadwip Dham, New Farakka, Ranaghat Jn., Raniganj, Sainthia, Sealdah, Sonarpur, Sultanganj, Tarakeswar, Tollyganj, Ultadanga, Barrackpur, Naihati, Rishra, Srirampur, Rampurhat, Sheoraphulli, Chandannagar, Sahibganj, Barharwa and Bariarpur.
East Central Railway (ESR): 55 Stations
Akshayawat Rai Nagar, Ara, Buxar, Barauni Jn., Begusarai, Bettiah, Daltonganj, Danapur, Darbhanga, Dhanbad, Dehri-on-Sone, Gaya, Hajipur Jn., Janakpur Road, Khagaria, Koderma, Mokama, Motihari, Mughalsarai, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Nayagaon, Narkatiaganj jn, Nawadah, Parasnath, Patna, Sagauli jn, Sasaram, Samastipur, Sheikhpura, Sitamarhi, Sonepur Jn., Barkakana, Patna Sahib, Bakhtiyarpur, Biharsharif, Jamui, Jhajha, Kiul, Lakheesarai, Rajendra Nagar (T), Rajgir, Anugrah Narayan Road, Raxaul, Saharsa, Madhubani, Renukot, Singrauli, Chopan, Garhwa Road, Barh, Bhabua Road, Dalsinghsarai, Phulwarisarif and Mananpur.
East Coast: 24 Stations
Badakhandita, Bhadrak, Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur, Byree, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Golanthra, Jajpur-Keonjhar Road, Kapilas Road, Khurda Road, Puri, Rahama, Sambalpur, Surla Road, Titlagarh, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Palasa, Rayagada, Balugaon, Sambalpur Road and Kesinga.
Northern Railway (NR): 80 Stations
Ambala Cantt, Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, Ayodhya, Baghpat Road, Baraut, Bareilly, Bhatinda, Beas, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Delhi, Delhi Cantt, Delhi Sarai Rohilla, Dhuri Jn., Faizabad, Faridabad, Firozpur, Garhmukteshwar, Ghaziabad, Haridwar, H. Nizamuddin, Jullundur City, Jammu Tawi, Kalka, Kathua, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Merrut City, Moradabad, Nangloi, New Delhi, Panipat Jn., Pathankot, Patiala, Prayag, Rae-Bareli Jn., Saharanpur, Shimla, Varanasi, Rohtak, Delhi Shahdra, Ballabhgarh, Karnal, Sonipat, Meerut Cantt., Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Bhadohi, Akbarpur, Chakki Bank, Jallandhar Cantt, Phagwara, Shahjahanpur, Jagadhari, Sirhand jn., Muzaffarnagar, Kurukshetra, Sabzi Mandi, Palwal, Shakurbasti, Barabanki, Shahganj, Unnao, Janghai, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Roorkee, Najibabad, Rampur, Hardoi, Hapur, Chandausi, Rishikesh, Rajpura, Chandi Mandir, Abohar, Deoband and Bhodwal Majri.
North Central Railway (NCR): 21 Stations
Agra Cantt, Agra Fort, Aligarh, Allahabad Jn., Etawah, Gwalior, Jhansi, Kanpur Central, Mathura Jn., Tundla, Mirzapur, Banda, Morena, Raja Ki Mandi, Fatehpur, Firozabad, Naini, Babina, Chitrakut Dham Karvi, Lalitpur and Orai.
North Eastern Railway (NER): 34 Stations
Badshah Nagar, Ballia, Basti, Chhapra Jn., Deoria Sadar, Gonda Jn., Gorakhpur, Izzatnagar Jn., Kathgodam, Katra, Lucknow, Manduadih, Mau Jn., Pilibhit, Rawatpur, Siwan Jn., Lucknow City, Allahabad City, Azamgarh, Bahraich, Barhani, Belthra Raod, Bhatni jn, Farrukhabad, Ghazipur City, Kasganj, Kashipur, Khalilabad, Lakhimpur, Lalkuan, Salempur, Sitapur , Varanasi City and Kaimganj.
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR): 35 Stations
Alipurduar Jn., Alubari Road, Araria Court, Coochbehar, Dalkolha, Dharmanagar, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Ghum, Gosaigaonhat, Guwahati, Harishchandrapur, Jalpaiguri, Jorhat Town, Kamakhya, Katihar, Kishanganj, Kokrajhar, Lumding, Maal Bazar, New Alipurduar, New Bongaigaon, New Coochbehar, New Jalpaiguri, New Mal Jn., New Tinsukia, Purnea jn, Raiganj, Rangia Jn., Silchar, Siliguri Town, Srirampur, Tezpur, Bongaigaon and Tinsukia.
North Western Railway (NWR): 26 Stations
Abu Road, Ajmer, Bikaner, Hissar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Rewari, Sri Ganga Nagar, Udaipur, Alwar, Falna, Rani, Marwar jn, Beawar, Bhilwara, Pali Marwar, Jaisalmer, Nagaur, Makrana, Suratgarh, Bhiwani, Hanumangarh, Sirsa, Rana Pratapnagar, Kishangarh and Kosli.
Southern Railway (SR): 48 Stations
Alwaye, Arakkonam Jn, Calicut, Cannanore, Chengannaur, Chengalpattu, Chennai Beach, Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Coimbatore, Ernakulam Jn., Erode Jn., Kanniyakumari, Katpadi, Kayankulam, Kottayam, Madurai, Mambalam, Mangalore, Palghat, Pondicherry, Quilon (Kollam), Rameswaram, Salem, Tiruchchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tiruttani, Trichur, Trivandrum Central, Tuticorin, Varkala, Jolarpettai, Dindigul, Shoranur, Tellicherry, Tiruppur, Thanjavur, Nagercoil, Tiruvalla, Ernakulam Town, Ambur, Kovilpatti, Virudhunagar, Badagara, Kankanadi, Tirur, Villupuram Jn and Alleppey.
South Central Railway (SCR): 64 Stations
Dharmavaram Jn., Guntakal, Guntur, Hyderabad, Kacheguda, Kakinada Town, Nanded, Nellore, Raichur, Rajahmundry, Secunderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Warangal, Anakapalli, Anantapur, Aurangabad, Bhimavaram Town, Cuddapah, Eluru, Godavari, Jalna, Kazipet, Khammam, Ongole, Parbhani, Samalkot, Tenali, Adoni, Chirala, Kurnool Town, Machilipatnam, Manchiryal, Palakollu, Ramagundam, Tadepalligudem, Tandur, Tanuku, Tuni, Yadgir, Bhimavaram, Dhone, Dornakal, Gooty, Gudivada, Gudur, Mudkhed, Nadikudi, Nidadavolu, Pakala, Purna, Renigunta, Vikarabad, Annavaram, Basar, BhadrachalamRoad, Bidar, Mantralayam Road, Nagarsol, Nalgonda, Parlivaijnath, Srikhalahasti, Nandyal and Nizamabad.
South Eastern Railway (SER): 22 Stations
Adra, Bagnan, Balasore, Bishnupur, Bokaro Steel City, Chakradharpur, Contai Road, Garbeta, Hatia, Jhargram, Jharsuguda, Kharagpur, Kolaghat, Mecheda, Midnapore, Ranchi, Rourkela, Santragachi Jn., Tamluk, Tatanagar, Ulubaria and Purulia
South East Central Railway (SECR): 11 Stations
Bilaspur, Durg, Raipur, Raigarh, Gondia, Champa, Shahdol, Bhatapara, Tilda, Rajnandgaon and Chhindwara.
South Western Railway (SWR): 22 Stations
Bangalore Cantt, Bijapur, Hospet, Hubli, Mysore, Shimoga Town, Toranagallu, Vasco-de-gama, Belgaum, Bellary jn, Yesvanthpur jn, Alnavar, Bangalore City, Bangarpet jn, Davangere, Dharwad, Gadag, Hassan, Hasur, Krishnarajapuram, Londa jn and Tumkur.
Western Railway (WR): 45 Stations
Ahmedabad, Anand Jn., Bamnia, Bandra Terminus, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Chittaurgarh, Dadar, Dharangaon, Dwarka, Gandhidham, Gandhigram, Indore, Mumbai Central, Navsari, Nimbahera, Okha, Rajkot, Ratlam, Surat, Ujjain, Vadodara, Valsad, Vapi, Ankleshwar, Nadiad, New Bhuj, Palanpur, Mhow, Jamnagar, Billimora, Udhana, Nandurbar, Maninagar, Mahesana, Dahod, Dewas, Mandsaur, Nagda, Nimach, Hapa, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Porbandar and Verawal.
West Central Railway (WCR): 20 Stations
Bhopal, Damoh, Habibganj, Guna, Hoshangabad, Jabalpur, Katni Jn., Kota, Pipariya, Satna, Sawai Madhopur, Madanmahal, Sagour, Maihar, Rewa, Itarsi, Bina, Bharatpur, Gangapur City and Vidisha.
Konkan Railway (KRCL): 1 Station
Madgaon.
Fascinating Facts About Indian Railways
169 Years of Heritage: The Indian Railways was inaugurated on April 16, 1853. The inaugural passenger train covered a 34-kilometer route between Mumbai's Bori Bandar and Thane.
Unique Mascot: Indian Railways boasts its own mascot, 'Bholu,' created by the National Institute of Design in 2002. Bholu is an elephant dressed as a railway guard, introduced on the railways' 150th anniversary.
World's 4th Largest Rail Network: Indian Railways ranks as the world's fourth-largest railway network, covering a track length of 67,368 km. It's also the world's second-largest network managed under a single administration, spanning 115,000 km.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Indian Railways proudly owns four UNESCO-recognized world heritage sites: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and Kalka Shimla Railway.
Longest Platform: Hubli Junction's Platform number 1, also known as Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Junction in Karnataka, holds the record for the world's longest railway platform at 1,505 meters.
Longest and Shortest Train Rides: The longest train ride in India is the Vivek Express, covering a distance of 4,189 kilometers from Kanyakumari to Dibrugarh, with 56 stops in 82 hours and 30 minutes. The shortest train ride is just 3 kilometers, running between Nagpur and Ajni.
World's Highest Rail Bridge: India is home to the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge, located in Dharot, Jammu, and Kashmir.
Nagpur's Diamond Crossing: Nagpur, Maharashtra, hosts the famous Diamond Crossing, where two railway tracks form a diamond shape, with two lines going North-South and two lines going East-West.
The Amrit Bharat Stations Scheme represents a monumental leap in India's railway infrastructure, promising modernization, environmental sustainability, and a renewed travel experience for passengers. With these ambitious plans, Indian Railways is poised to redefine railway stations as vibrant hubs of connectivity and culture.
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