PM Modi to lay foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 railway stations

In a historic initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the country on August 6 via video conferencing, his office said.

These 508 stations are spread across 27 states and union territories, including 55 each 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 Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 15 in Haryana and 13 in Karnataka.

The redevelopment, which will cost Rs 24,470 crore, will provide modern passenger amenities along with ensuring well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well-designed signage for guidance of passengers, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, adding that the design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture.

Noting that Modi has often laid stress on the provision of state-of-the-art public transport and that railways are the preferred mode of transport of people, the PMO said he has prioritised the importance of providing world-class amenities at railway stations. Guided by this vision, the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme' was launched to redevelop 1,309 stations, it said.