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• The Ministry of Railways has moved to set up a separate corporate unit to upgrade and improve the country’s thousands of railway stations. In what was described as a “path-breaking initiative,” the Ministry signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be called “Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited” to handle the job. The MoU was signed between the two public sector units of the Ministry of Railways, namely IRCON International Limited (IRCON) and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA). No financial details were disclosed.
• Dinesh Trivedi, Union Minister for Railways, said this initiative is a part of the Vision 2020 document presented by the then Minister for Railways, Mamata Bannerjee. The documents provided a comprehensive road map for the development of all aspects of railway operations from safety, infrastructure and passenger amenities to modernisation of the stations, according to a report by Travel Impact Newswire.
• He said that it is imperative for India to have modern railway stations that are functional, customer-oriented and well-equipped with proper circulation area and railway operation facilities. The Ministry of Railways has written to the State Governments and the local bodies to improve the areas surrounding stations as well as the approach roads to the stations. He stressed that the new entity is fully part of the Ministry of Railways and all the properties and assets will remain with the Railways and there is no question of privatisation in the matter. Vinay Mittal, Chairman, Railway Board, said that it is “a path breaking initiative” which will be “a game changer” in providing effective, passenger-friendly stations.
• The new SPV will provide the identified stations with well designed concourses, high quality waiting spaces, easy access to the platforms, congestion free platforms, modern ‘state-of-art’ catering, hotels and other facilities. The stations would be disabled passenger-friendly and have provisions for convenient entry, inter-platform transfer and easy access for the physically disabled and senior citizens. They would also be provided with proper waste disposal facilities to improve hygiene and cleanliness.The railways also propose to involve the state governments and city administrations for development of the stations and surrounding areas in an integrated and holistic manner. City authorities and other stakeholders would also be taken on board to facilitate timely implementation of projects and boost traffic flows to and from the stations.

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