A year after launch, Railways' station revamp plan back to drawing board

The first phase of the station redevelopment programme covering 23 stations that was launched with much fanfare had to be called off owing to lukewarm response from developers

“We have the largest captive audience in the world and hence our land parcels have huge commercial value,” declared an emphatic Suresh Prabhu in February 2017 at the inauguration of the ambitious Rs 1 trillion station redevelopment plan. 

The then railway minister’s optimism, it turns out, hasn’t translated into action. A year-and-a-half since the announcement, the national transporter’s plan to monetise its land through the commercial development of 600 stations is yet to get on track. 

Problems with the project started right at the outset. The first phase of the station redevelopment programme covering 23 stations that was launched with