When Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday launched the railway station redevelopment programme in New Delhi, railway users in Kozhikode had a reason to cheer.
The Kozhikode station is one of the 23 railway stations in the country marked for the first phase of the scheme to develop stations into world-class facilities.
Four sites totalling 4.40 acres of land have been identified at the Kozhikode station to be utilised for the redevelopment programme. The project cost will be ₹75 crore.
The objective is to make the station the nerve centre of the city. The project includes retail development and office-space development. The amenities are arrival and departure segregation, concourse, food and beverages outlets, canopy roofing and superior flooring, escalators and passenger lounges.
State’s suggestion
However, the State government has opposed the model for the development. Instead, it has suggested cost-sharing between the State and the Railways.
The Centre’s project will be taken up under the Swiss Challenge method, which involves inviting a proposal online and permitting rival bidders to beat that proposal with a more attractive one.
