The Indian Railways has shortlisted 57 stations in Odisha for development as part of the Amrit Bharat Station project. The proposal will see railway stations outfitted with all modern amenities, as well as the development of approach roads to the stations.
East Coast Railway (ECoR) reports that development work has already begun at several important railway stations. The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme envisions the continual development of stations over a lengthy period of time. It entails developing master plans and implementing them in stages to improve station amenities such as improving station access, circulating areas, waiting halls, toilets, lift/escalators as needed, cleanliness, free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products through schemes such as ‘One Station One Product,’ better passenger information systems, Executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station.
The railway stations identified for development under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme are Angul, Badampahar, Balangir, Balasore, Balugaon, Barbil, Bargarh Road, Baripada, Barpali, Belpahar, Betnoti, Bhadrak, Bhawanipatna, Bhubaneswar, Bimlagarh, Brahmapur, Brajrajnagar, Chatrapur, Cuttack, Damanjodi, Dhenkanal, Gunupur, Harishanker Road, Hirakud, Jajpur-Keonjhar Road, Jaleswar, Jaroli, Jeypore, Jharsuguda, Jharsuguda Road, Kantabanji, Kendujhargarh, Kesinga, Khariar Road, Khurda road, Koraput, Lingaraj Temple Road, Mancheswar, Meramandali, Muniguda, New Bhubaneswar, Panposh, Paradeep, Parlakhemundi, Puri, Raghunathpur, Rairakhol, Rairangpur, Rajgangpur, Rayagada, Rourkela, Sakhi Gopal, Sambalpur, Sambalpur city, Talcher, Talcher Road, Titlagarh Jn.
In the first phase, work on certain key stations has already begun. Additionally, the ECoR has selected 25 railway stations for redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. These stations include Sakhigopal, Mancheswar, Dhenkanal, Chhatrapur, Angul, Palasa, Meramandali, Balugaon, Lingaraj Temple Road, Talcher Road, Khurda Road, Kantabanji, Bargarh Road, Hirakud, Rairakhol, Barpali, Muniguda, Balangir, Harisankar Road, Mahasamund, Bhawanipatna, Khariar Road, Vizianagaram, Duvvada, and Damanjodi railway stations.
Through video conferencing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji will lay the groundwork for the renovation of 500 stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Furthermore, this initiative aims to revamp railway facilities and enhance passenger experience across the country.
Under ECoR, a total of Rs 547.7 crore would be spent on the refurbishment of 25 stations.
Source:OCN