Secunderabad railway station:All set for Rs 282 crore makeover

Hyderabad: The iconic Secunderabad railway station is all set to get a Rs 282 crore makeover. As part of the station redevelopment programme, the South Central Railway will upgrade passenger amenities at the 143-year-old station.

Authorities said Vijayawada too is included in the list of 36 stations in the SCR zone that will be taken up for modernisation. The estimated outlay for it would be Rs 194 crore.

The SCR authorities uploaded the bid documents for the project on Thursday. "The project is being undertaken under a modified Swiss Challenge method, adopting the QCBS (quality and cost-based solution) system. A project proponent will be identified and a detailed project report put in place. The project will seek to involve state governments, various central government wings (for various clearances required) and global experts," said Vinod Kumar Yadav, general manager of SCR.

The station will be developed under the public private partnership mode, with SCR or the Indian Railways not required to invest even a single rupee. The final bidder, who wins



the project rights, will be responsible for designing, engineering, financing, procurement, development, construction and maintenance of the station at its own expense.

Some of the proposed features to be added include segregation of arrival and departure areas, and setting up of ATMs, pharmacies, internet access points and user-friendly international signages.

Other facilities on the anvil are integration of the station with other modes of transport, multi-level parking on platforms 1 and 10, heightened security for vehicles and baggage at all entrances, and executive lounges. To avoid congestion, it is also proposed to allow passengers on platforms only after a train is placed.

As part of the bidding process, site visits by at least 10 real estate experts, including Nippon Koei India Private Ltd, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP, Knight Frank (India) Private Ltd and Resurgent India Ltd, have been conducted. "Also, road shows have been conducted in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Dubai with interested developers and investors," said Yadav.