Second pre-bid meeting for redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station held

Private players will redevelop an area of 5 lakh square metres at NDLS and another 2.6 lakh sq m surrounding it for commercial purposes.

The project would be developed on a Design-Build Finance Operate Transfer (DBFOT) model for a concession period of 60 years.

“The redevelopment of NDLS has attracted interest from leading global firms. The project aims to transform NDLS into a world-class and a one-stop destination for retail, commercial and hospitality. It will also boost real estate and ensure a cascading development of New Delhi and surrounding regions,” top officials told Moneycontrol.

The concessionaire will earn revenue from several components including passenger handling fees collected from passengers via ticket sales; revenue from passenger facilities within the station such as retail areas, lounges, parking, advertisement spaces, F&B; and income from the development and lease of commercial components.

The developer is expected to give an annual concession fee (ACF) to the authority along with a fixed upfront premium, officials said.

Some of the salient features of the planned redevelopment include an elevated concourse with segregation of arriving and departing passengers; refurbished platforms with easy access from the concourse level; mezzanine level exclusively for passenger facilities such as lounges, food courts and restrooms; an elevated road network with multiple entry and exit points; a multi-level car parking facility; and Green Building provisions such as optimum use of natural ventilation and lighting.

The project would also include a significant commercial component entailing a mix of retail, office, and hospitality developments such as 5-star hotels, budget hotels and serviced apartments on approximately 30 acres of land.

It also envisages a business district to be located on the outer circle of Connaught Place and near Bhavbhuti Marg close to the Civic Centre. The station will be integrated with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's (DMRC) yellow line, airport express line and with the Connaught Place outer circle through a pedestrian boulevard.

The other components of the RFQ include all permissible commercial developments like retail, hotels, offices and service apartments at designated locations

NDLS is the largest and second busiest railway station in the country and handles around 4.5 lakh passengers daily. The station handles around 400 trains per day, which are expected to increase due to higher operational efficiencies, resulting from the redevelopment and better yard utilisation.

Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Railways for the development of vacant railway land for commercial use in line with the objective to generate revenue by non-tariff measures.

Currently, Indian Railways has approximately 43,000 hectares of vacant land across India. RLDA has over 85 sites, 84 railway colonies redevelopment works, and 62 railway station development works across India for leasing and eligible developers for each will be selected through an open and transparent bid process.