Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country at a cost of over Rs 24 thousand 470 crore under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme through video conferencing on Sunday.
Speaking at the event, he said, each Amrit Bharat Station will be a symbol of the city’s modern aspirations and ancient heritage. He said around 1300 major railway stations in India will now be developed as Amrit Bharat Railway Stations of which work on the redevelopment of 508 Amrit Bharat Railway Stations has begun today.
Modi said around Rs 25,000 crores will be spent on the redevelopment of these Stations which will give a major boost to the Railways infrastructure.
PM Modi said the budgetary support for the Railways has been increased by five times as compared to 2014, which is now at Rs 2.40 lakh crore. He said that it is the beginning of a new era of development in the history of Indian Railways, which will benefit all the common citizens of the country. He said India’s credibility has increased at the global level and the world’s attitude towards India has changed.
The Prime Minister said the Government is giving priority to the expansion of the railway network in the northeastern States. He said that the work towards electrification, doubling of the tracks, and the construction of new routes are on the fast track.
Criticising the Opposition, the Prime Minister said that they have never appreciated the developmental work, be it the construction of the new Parliament building, the Statue of Unity, or the redevelopment of Kartavya Path.
He said that there is a need to rise above negative politics, as India is moving ahead on the path of positive politics as a mission.
Making the initial remarks, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vasihnaw said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given lots of priority to the railways in the last nine years.
Vaishnaw said these new railway stations will provide world-class amenities to passengers. The Railway Minister said the unprecedented development that has taken place in the last nine years is a testimony to the Prime Minister’s vision of developing India.
These 508 stations are spread across 27 States and union territories. This includes 55 stations each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, and 25 in Odisha among others.
There are three Stations in Tripura which will be re-developed under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
The redevelopment will provide modern passenger amenities along with ensuring well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration, and well-designed signage for the guidance of passengers. The design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage, and architecture.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also said that railway stations are being redeveloped as multi-modal connectivity across the country as per Prime Minister’s vision. Briefing media in New Delhi, Vaishnaw said today that redevelopment work of these railway stations is underway. He added that 9,000 engineers have been trained to develop modern railway stations.
The Minister said that the layout plan for around 700 railway stations is underway and it will be laid down in the next phase. Vaishnaw stressed that his ministry is working to realise PM Modi’s vision to provide a world-class public transport experience to every section of society.(Edited)
