The redevelopment of Egmore railway station will start soon | So Good News

The redevelopment of Egmore railway station under the Gati Shakti scheme is set to take off, with Southern Railway identifying DEC Infrastructure and Projects as the contractor. The company will upgrade the second largest railway terminal in Chennai to international standards.

A senior official of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway said that the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for Multimodal Connectivity is aimed at upgrading important railway stations to international standards.

Egmore station will be redeveloped at a cost of £734m in 36 months. Hyderabad-headquartered DEC Infrastructure and Projects has started the first survey.

Regarding the preservation of the heritage structure of the Egmore station and the design of the new building, the official said approval would be received from the State Heritage Committee.

The design was based on aesthetics and available space.

The rebuilding will help to create passenger facilities that the station currently lacks. The railway authorities have planned to create separate departure and arrival terminals and concourses. The station, which handles more than 1.2 lakh people a day, will have lounges, food courts, parcel and post offices and public amenities. There will be two multi-level car parks and two huge station buildings.

The platforms will be restored and renovated using electrical and mechanical facilities.

A company source said that since the Egmore station is one of the oldest in the country, the station building on the eastern side will be taken up for interior and exterior refurbishment and renovation with electro-mechanical appliances.

The construction company, with a diversified project portfolio with architectural and design capabilities, has completed projects worth more than ₹ 4,000 crore for both public and private companies and is executing nearly ₹ 2,000 crore in infrastructure projects spread across multiple sectors.

DEC which has been awarded the contract to execute this prestigious project aims to make this railway station through the redevelopment project a model railway station to be showcased to the country, the company source added.

Gati Shakti unit formed

The formation of a Gati Shakti unit in the Chennai division has helped speed up important projects, including the redevelopment of the Egmore station.

Earlier, Gati Shakti had units only in a few divisions, including Delhi, Bengaluru and Agra. However, Indian Railways gave the go-ahead to form the units in all 52 divisions to expedite several projects that were delayed. In the Chennai division, an officer of the rank of Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM) has been appointed.

A senior Southern Railway official said that as the Chennai division had more than two ADRMs, one of the posts has been redesigned as Chief Project Manager, Gati Shakti, and the officer will conduct a feasibility study and prepare the detailed project reports.

The Gati Shakti unit will be involved in planning and execution of infrastructure projects, including redevelopment of stations, creation of passenger facilities, improvements at level crossings, construction of road underbridges and flyovers, provision of escalators and lifts at stations and coal and port connectivity.