Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday unveiled a massive plan to revamp railway stations in the country, saying that 50 stations in large cities would get world class facilities, while 50 more would have multi-functional complexes.

Presenting her ministry's budget for the current fiscal in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee said: "The world class facilities in the 50 stations will be developed through innovative financing and under public private partnership mode."

Some of these stations are: CST Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Howrah, Sealdah, Bhubaneswar, New Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Amritsar, Kanpur, Guwahati, Jaipur and Chennai Central.

The multi-functional complexes will be developed in "fifty such railway stations in places of pilgrimage, industry and tourist interest," Banerjee said. They will have shopping centres, food stalls, restaurants, book shops, telephone and fax booths, medicine and variety stores and budget hotels as well as underground parking.

State-run IRCON and Rail Land Development Authority will develop these complexes.

Some of the stations where the complexes will come up are Alipurduar, Allahabad, Banspani, Bikaner, Bilaspur, Cuttack, Darjeeling, Dehradun, Ernakulum, Gandhidham and Gwalior.

The minister also proposed to develop 375 "Adarsh stations", which would have better basic facilities such as drinking water, adequate toilets, catering services and waiting rooms.

"These stations will also have dormitories especially for lady passengers and other basic facilities," Banerjee said.

Out of the 375, the railways have already identified 309 stations for the Adarsh station project.

Banerjee added that the railways would extend a helping hand to physically challenged and senior citizens.

"The Indian railways will extend a helping hand to the persons with physical disabilities and old age people. Standard ramps, earmarked parking lots, specially designed coaches in each mail and express train, lifts and escalators would be provided in a phased manner," she said.

(Source: Economic Times)

Budget Summary
* Mamata ends Rail Budget speech with Urdu couplet
* No hike in freight rates
* No increase in passenger fares across classes
* Tatkal scheme to be reduced from 5 days to 2 days
* 12 new 'Durant' AC sleeper trains between major metros
* Non-stop AC 'Durant' trains to be introduced
* 1000 MW power plant with NTPC on Bengal-Jharkhand border
* Kolkata Metro to get more extensions
* Ladies Special to be extended to Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi
* Metro concession in Kolkata to minority students
* Press correspondents to get 50% concession
* Cold storage facilities for farmers to store produce
* New scheme called 'Izzat' for low-income monthly travel
* Total working expenditure estimated at Rs 81,685cr
* Unrealistic high targets of Interim Budget not sustainable
* Freight loading fell short of target
* New coach factory to be set up in Kanchrapara in Bengal
* Mega logistics hubs in Eastern and Western corridor
* Launch of premium parcel service between 3 stations
* New policy to allow private freight terminal
* Railways to lease out land for commercial purposes
* Special recruitment drive to fill up physically challenged posts
* Metro Rail Hospital in Tollygunj to be upgraded
* Hospitals to be developed for railway staff
* Colleges on railway land through public-private partnership
* Girl child scholarship for Group B Railway employees
* To increase number of women commandos in key routes
* Ramps, special bogeys for physically challenged passengers
* To introduce double-decker AC coaches for inter-city travel
* Passengers can buy tickets from Post Offices
* SMS update on waitlisted tickets
* Automatic ticket vending machines in 200 stations
* Ticketing services in 200 new towns and cities
* Infotainment services in Rajdhani, Shatabdi
* 49 stations of religious importance to be upgraded
* To introduce ambulance facilities in long-distance trains
* Depute one doctor in long-distance trains
* Specially designed coaches for handicapped passengers
* Book stores, PCOs to be set up across stations
* Multi-functional complexes for railway users at stations
* Toilet facilities for women at stations
* Public-private partnership to develop stations
* 309 out of 370 stations identified for development
* CST Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Howrah, Sealdah to be developed
* Develop 50 stations as world-class
* To lay stress on platform and train security, catering
* Mamata quotes Tagore's "where the mind is without fear..."
* Expert committee on socially unviable projects to be set up
* Mamata invokes Indira Gandhi in her Budget speech
* All-inclusive development needs to happen
* Rail projects governed by social viability: Mamata
* Rail projects shouldn't be gauged by economic viability
* We are proud of the Indian Railways: Mamata
* Mamata Banerjee begins speech in Parliament
* Mamata Banerjee tables her third Rail Budget
* 'My Budget by the people, for the people'

(Source: IBN Live)

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