32 stations in Assam to be redeveloped, Himanta says train travel will be good experience

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stones for the redevelopment of 32 railway stations in Assam, which are among the 508 stations across the country that will be modernised under the 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme'.

The stations in Assam will be modernised at a cost of Rs 990 crore, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official said.

Among these stations are Amguri, Dibrugarh, Duliajan, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Diphu, Kokrajhar, Jorhat Town, Jagiroad, Lumding Junction, New Haflong, Narengi and New Karimganj.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who attended the foundation stone laying programme at Narengi station in Guwahati, said the modernisation is being done with future demands in mind.

"The modernisation is being planned in such a way that for the next 25 years, train travel will be a good experience," he said.

A total of 50 stations in the state will be redeveloped under the scheme, and foundation stones for 32 were laid on Sunday.

Sarma said the redevelopment work will be completed within two years.

Maintaining that train travel experience has changed in the last 10 years, he said the introduction of Vande Bharat Express trains has added to it and many people now prefer travelling on trains than flying.

So far 1,309 stations have been identified for redevelopment under the scheme, and the foundation stones for 508 were laid on Sunday.

The NFR official said 91 stations under it have been identified for the project, and the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 56 stations was laid.

Besides the 32 stations in Assam, 16 are in West Bengal, three each in Tripura and Bihar, and one station each in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

A total of Rs 5,100 crore has been allocated for the redevelopment of the 91 stations under NFR. Out of which, Rs 1,960 crores will be utilised for the redevelopment of these 56 stations.

This scheme envisages the development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term approach.

The redevelopment project will provide for modern passenger amenities apart from ensuring a well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well-designed signage for the guidance of passengers, officials said, adding the design of station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture.

The facilities intended to be developed at the stations include foot-overbridges, escalators and elevators, two-wheeler and car parking areas and integrated passenger information system, besides improvement of platforms and platform shelters, benches and washbasins, better illumination and power supply arrangements.