The redevelopment of the Egmore railway station under the Gati Shakti scheme is set to take off, with Southern Railway identifying DEC Infrastructure and Projects as the contractor. The company will upgrade the second largest railway terminal in Chennai to international standards.
A senior official of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway said the PM Gati Shakti-National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity is aimed at upgrading important railway stations to international standards.
The Egmore station will be redeveloped at a cost of ₹734 crore in 36 months. The Hyderabad-headquartered DEC Infrastructure and Projects has started the initial survey.
As for the preservation of the heritage structure of the Egmore station and the design of the new building, the official said clearance would be received from the State Heritage Committee.
The design was based on aesthetics and the space available.
The redevelopment will help to create passenger amenities that the station lacks now. The railway authorities have planned to create segregated departure and arrival terminals and concourses. The station, which handles more than 1.2 lakh people a day, will have lounges, food-courts, parcel and post offices, and public conveniences. There will be two multi-level car parking lots and two huge station buildings.
The platforms will undergo re-surfacing and renovation with the help of electrical and mechanical facilities.
A company source said that since the Egmore station is one of the oldest in the country, the heritage station building on the east side would be taken up for interior and exterior refurbishment and renovation with electro-mechanical devices.
The construction company, with a diversified project portfolio having architectural and design capabilities, has completed projects worth more than ₹4,000 crore for both government and private companies and is executing nearly ₹2,000 crore worth of infrastructure projects spread over multiple sectors.
The DEC having landed the contract for executing this prestigious project aims to make this railway station through the redevelopment project a model railway station to be showcased for the country, the company source added.
Gati Shakti Unit formed
The formation of a Gati Shakti Unit in the Chennai Division has helped to speed up important projects, including the redevelopment of the Egmore station.
Earlier, Gati Shakti had units only in a few divisions, including Delhi, Bengaluru and Agra. However, the Indian Railways gave the go-ahead for forming the units in all 52 divisions to expedite several projects that were getting delayed. In the Chennai Division, an officer of the rank of Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM) has been appointed.
A senior official of Southern Railway said as the Chennai Division had more than two ADRMs, one of the posts has been redesignated as Chief Project Manager, Gati Shakti, and the officer will undertake a feasibility study and prepare the detailed project reports.
The Gati Shakti Unit will be involved in planning and execution of infrastructure projects, including station redevelopment, creation of passenger amenities, improvements to the level crossings, construction of road under-bridges and road over-bridges, provision of escalators and lifts at stations and coal and port connectivity.
