A separate concourse for arrival and departure, multiplex, hotels and other commercial establishments would soon be a part of the upcoming southern end of Tirupati railway station.
Whereas the existing entrance, on the northern side, in addition to the typical passenger amenities, would house a piazza (a public square) with geometric rooftop design, water fountains, landscaping etc., involving several sustainable design practices. This ambitious plan to transform ‘one of the busiest transit points’ into a world class entity has set the wheels in motion to develop the railway station on lines with Smart City tag accorded to the temple city.
The railway officials have reviewed the detailed project report made by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) and the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) and would take a formal nod after reviewing the changes in the master plan.
Speaking to The Hindu , a senior railway official remarked that the project, once approved, will be executed in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode under the Integrated Development of Tirupati Railway Station with Smart City Development Plan.
“The land acquisition on the southern side is in the final stage (and has almost been completed). We have begun construction works for the sixth platform and four more would be accommodated in the future, making Tirupati, a railway station with 10 platforms. The present maintenance yard (pit lines etc.) will be shifted to Tiruchanur railway station and soon four platforms will be developed there,” he said. A recent tweet by the Divisional Railway Manager (Guntakal) has highlighted a few details of the project with estimated designs -Tirupati Stn getting redeveloped by 2020 with Hotel, Plaza, Retiring/Running rooms, Multiplex etc..some initial views of North and South side.. (sic) -
DRM Guntakal@drmgtl
The entire project also involves sustainable design strategies such as green terraces, cellular rainwater harvesting, solar panel car park/shades, low volatile organic compound (VOC) materials, wind/solar powered streetlights, green pavers and roofs to reduce ‘heat island’ effect, use of recycled grey water in building services and much more. The officials said that the project report, once finalised, would be sent for approval from the Railway Board and the former are scheduled to review the situation, on site, on December 2.
