Bhubaneswar station to be constructed in PPP mode

BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar station will be constructed in public private partnership (PPP) mode. Railway is coordinating with the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and a joint plan is being worked out.
Railway Board chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Ministry Suneet Sharma said this on Sunday during his one-day visit to Bhubaneswar.
Sharma inspected Bhubaneswar railway station and reviewed the ongoing projects of this region with East Coast Railway (ECoR) officials. “Action is being taken to complete the station redevelopment project at the earliest. One platform and two rail lines will be added in this project,” he added.
He said Bhubaneswar station will be developed as a world class station. Plan for Bhubaneswar station’s redevelopment has already been done. Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) will execute railway work and the rest of the work will be done by BDA, he added.
Besides, Bhubaneswar New railway station is being developed as a satellite terminal station of Bhubaneswar main station.
During station inspection, Sharma said that several facilities have been developed and the Railways focus on development of circulating areas, concourse, platform, lighting, waiting rooms, toilets and recently added elevators for the benefit of the passengers.
Several ongoing railway projects of the state have national importance. “Fund is not an issue for any projects. We are getting support from the state government in the field of land acquisition for the Railway projects,” said Sharma.
He said the Railways is running around 1,700 trains per day across the country. Generally short distance passenger trains (local trains) get heavy crowds, but we have restored many such trains after discussing with the state governments. All trains will be run within three months, he added.
The Railway Board chairman reviewed the ongoing railway projects of ECoR with general manager Vidya Bhushan, all the principal heads of departments, senior officials and divisional railway managers (DRMs) at ECoR headquarters here.
In August, the ECoR had wanted to pull out of a memorandum of understanding signed with the Odisha government to develop Bhubaneswar railway station into a multi-modal hub, citing delay in execution of the project by BDA. Instead, the ECoR had suggested a revised pact so that it can complete the work related to the station, stuck because of the deal.
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