Redevelopment of rly stations could come up in Cabinet meet

A proposal for redevelopment of railway stations across the countries, based on suggestions obtained from interested players, could be taken up for consideration by the Union Cabinet tomorrow.
The stations would be redeveloped through a unique model of 'as is where is' basis through a much simpler process for faster redevelopment, with the focus more on vertical expansion.
"The stations will be available for development on 'as is where is' basis to exploit the space and air rights on concession basis. Land will not be sold.
"Anyone can participate in this bidding with their designs and business ideas by providing the operational requirements of railways for running trains at these stations," Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had said in his budget speech this year.

The proposal, which could come up for consideration in the Union Cabinet meet tomorrow, also seeks to set up a monitoring cell to ensure adherence to timelines even as railways have invited the state governments and the local bodies to be our partners in the endeavour, sources said.
Earlier moves to redevelop the stations and transforming them into world-class facilities had met with "little success".
The minister had observed that the existing processes for redevelopment are time-consuming as there are several stages involved.
They include 'inception and pre-feasibility report', appointment of architect, technical consultants, financial and legal consultants, in-principle approval of local authorities, request for qualification, shortlisting of bidders, and request for technical proposals.