Railways to Develop 10 Major Railway Stations to International Standards

Indian Railways has decided to develop at least 10 major stations of Metro Cities and important junctions to international standards with state of the art modern facilities and passenger amenities through Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. 

Stations to be redeveloped are to be identified based on adequacy of land, redevelopment cost, expected returns from real estate development, capacity of approach infrastructure to handle enhanced traffic, etc. 

A dedicated organization, Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) has been set up to undertake such station redevelopment projects. 

Such projects require detailed techno-economic feasibility studies and statutory clearances from local authorities. Though Railways have been making sustained efforts towards expediting various issues, no targets can be indicated. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today. 

Railways to Provide 400 More Escalators at 172 Stations

About 400 more escalators at 172 railway stations have been planned by the Indian Railways. So far, a total of 126 escalators at 56 railway stations have been provided. Provision of escalators at ‘A-1’, ‘A’ and ‘C’ category stations of tourist importance is a part of Desirable Amenities and are planned on need basis depending upon techno commercial feasibility and availability of fund. Indian Railways continuously strive to provide comfortable and affordable travel experience to its passengers. Initiatives which have already been taken include Proliferation of E-Ticketing, Ticketing through Mobile Phone, Ticketing through SMS, Tatkal Facilitation, Proliferation through Tie-up with other institutions (Post Offices), Alternate Mode of sales for Unreserved Tickets, Jansadharan Tickets Booking Sewaks (JTBS), Reduction in Advance Reservation Period, Mandatory ID Proof for all Reserved Classes to Prevent Misuse of Tickets, Facility of Modern Luggage Trolleys, Battery Operated Vehicles, Adarsh Stations, etc. This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today. Railways Take Steps to Promote Religious & Historic Tourism in the Country The tourism policies are reviewed on a regular basis and new products are introduced from time to time. In the recent Railway Budget 2014-15, a number of tourist trains offering package tours covering special pilgrim circuits like Devi Circuit, Jyotirling Circuit, Jain Circuit, Christian Circuit, Muslim/Sufi Circuit, Sikh Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Famous Temple Circuit etc. have been announced. Indian Railways network caters to a number of religious and historic destinations in the county. Luxury tourist trains, Buddhist special train and Bharat Darshan trains also cover a number of religious and historic tourist places. Development of specific tourist circuits, including religious and historic tourist places, is a continuous process based on market potential, financial viability, availability of resources, operational feasibility, etc. Facilities of Indian Railways are available to both domestic and foreign tourists. Indrail Passes as well as Foreign Tourist Quota in some important trains are available to foreign tourists. This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today. Courtesy : pib.nic.in