NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister of India has recently laid the foundation stone of the redevelopment project of 508 railway stations spread across 27 states and union territories via video conferencing. It is being said that the entire redevelopment exercise will cost more than ₹24,470 to the Indian treasury.
There are a total of 508 stations which will be redeveloped, with 55 stations each located in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in both Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 in both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, 15 in Haryana, and 13 in Karnataka.
PM also addressed the audience after the foundation laying ceremony, where he praised the pace with which the country is moving towards the goals of Viksit Bharat. He said, “There is new energy, new inspirations and new resolutions.”
Speaking about the redevelopment project prime minister said the exercise would be the beginning of a dawn of a new era in the history of Indian Railways. He further informed that around 1,300 prime railway stations in India will be modernised and given a new lease of life under the ‘Amrit Bharat Station’ scheme. The move will also benefit the passengers by ensuring well-designed traffic circulation, inter modal-modal integration and signage for guidance. Stations developed under the ‘Amrit Bharat Station’ scheme will have better seating arrangements, improved waiting rooms, free Wi-Fi etc. Prime Minister later announced, “By 2030, India will be a country whose railway network will run on net zero emissions.”