Redevelopment of Visakhapatnam Railway Station (A-1 category station) in East Coast Railway (ECoR) along with some other A-1 and A category railway stations in the country will the taken up in the first phase.
The Boston Consultancy Group (BCG), which is a strategic adviser to the Railway Board, had recommended the same a couple of months ago.
The Station Redevelopment 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.
Visakhapatnam Junction is one of the 23 railway stations in the country that have been selected in the first phase for the Redevelopment Project, according to reliable sources.
“We are having a meeting with all the stakeholders including the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) in this regard in Visakhapatnam on Feb 8,” Divisional Railway Manager Chandralekha Mukherjee confirmed when contacted by The Hindu on Monday.
The redevelopment plan envisages developing the railway station to the best standards by leveraging the valuable land available in and around railway stations. The redevelopment project will be undertaken by the selected developer.
The concept is to develop world class stations, which can generate surplus revenue on account of their commercial potential, with the surplus money going for modernisation of railway stations, with no additional funding from the railways.
The redevelopment will include upgrading the passenger amenities by new constructions/renovations and include refurbishing of station buildings, platform surfaces and circulating area to serve the needs of the passengers in a better manner.
The developer can build commercial establishments including hotels, multiplexes and shopping malls and would be given rights for commercial exploitation of the land at the station for a period of 45 years, while the ownership of the land remains with the railways.
The Railways has over 700 acres of land in the city, of which over 200 acres is around the railway station premises.
