 "Indian Railways")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations as part of the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 24,470 crore.
Modi had tweeted: "…At a cost of almost Rs 25,000 crore, the redevelopment will revolutionise how rail infrastructure is imagined in our nation. It will boost 'ease of living' and enhance comfort and convenience. Special care has also been taken to ensure the stations align with local culture, heritage, and architecture."
The stations are spread across 16 states/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.
Under the project, Modi said, around 1,300 railway stations across the country will be redeveloped.
The redevelopment plan will include modern passenger amenities, well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration, and signage for passengers.
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The design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage, and architecture.
Modi said that Jaipur railway stations will have glimpses of Hawa Mahal, and Amer Fort from Rajasthan, Jammu Tawi Railway Station will be inspired by the Raghunath Mandir and Dimapur Station of Nagaland will showcase the local architecture of 16 different tribes from the region.
He further said that in the last nine years, over 2,200 km of freight corridors have been constructed, reducing the travel time of goods trains.
"LED lights have been installed in about 70,000 coaches and the number of bio-toilets in trains has increased 28 times as compared to 2014," he said.
He said that by 2030, India will be a country whose railway network will run on net zero emissions.
