Vijayawada: The city railway station is set to receive a major infrastructural upgrade with a total outlay of Rs 946.60 crore under the station redevelopment scheme. While the total outlay for the station redevelopment stands at Rs 946.60 crore, development works worth Rs 661.11 crore will be executed under the mandatory component, and development works worth Rs 285.49 crore under the non-mandatory component.A new station building will be constructed on a total extent of 50.14 acres, with a total floor area of approximately 1.54 lakh sqm, designed to accommodate 20,000 peak hour traffic. Under the mandatory component, the redevelopment of the east side station building, west side station building, foot over bridges, skywalk, and multi-level car parking, covering 72,229 sqm, will be constructed at the station.Vijayawada is among the top 10 busiest railways in the country, with over 370 passenger trains halting daily. The station currently features 10 platforms, 24 tracks, and 4-foot overbridges, and shares traffic with nearby satellite stations such as Krishna Canal Junction, Gunadala, and Rayanapadu. Presently, the station handles around 57,000 daily boardings and a total footfall of approximately 1.14 lakh passengers, both of which are projected to nearly double over the next 40 years. The master plan is designed to handle daily passengers of two lakh and peak hour traffic (PHT) of 20,000 passengers for the next 40 years.The railways proposed the redevelopment of the Vijayawada railway station to enhance passenger amenities, improve transport connectivity, alleviate rail traffic congestion, and stimulate tourism and economic growth.As part of the station redevelopment, 106 existing residential quarters are planned to be demolished and relocated. Further, three out of the four existing foot over bridges will be dismantled as part of the redevelopment works. A new central FOB, 12 meters wide, will be constructed along with two side FOBs, each 3 meters wide. The side FOBs are planned to connect the outer areas on both sides of the station, while the central FOB links the east and west sides of the station.The 125th Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC), headed by the Department of Economic Affairs, has unanimously recommended the proposal for the ‘Redevelopment of Vijayawada Railway Station’ under Design, Build, Finance, Operate & Transfer under PPP mode in this regard.Subsequently, the empowered committee (EC) has recommended granting ‘In Principal Approval’ for VGF support for the ‘Redevelopment of Vijayawada Railway Station’ under the VGF scheme to the competent authority, with a maximum capex grant under VGF share pegged at Rs 264 crore, which is 40% of the total project cost value, i.e., Rs 661.11 crore. Similarly, the Ministry of Railways (MoR) is set to provide Rs 132 crore under the VGF scheme, which is around 20% of the total project cost.The redevelopment of the station will be executed under a Design Build Finance Operate Transfer (DBFOT) model with a deadline to complete the works in 36 months.
