RLDA Floats Tender For Ahmedabad Station Redevelopment Project Again After Re-Valuation

The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has floated the tender for the redevelopment of Ahmedabad station again, after making some course correction in the scope of the civil work.

The earlier tender was discharged in May as the bids received for Ahmedabad turned out to be too high compared to the cost estimated by the Indian Railways.

Besides Ahmedabad, the tender for New Delhi station was also discharged for the same reason forcing the RLDA to rework the tender documents for both stations.

While the tender for New Delhi is yet to be finalised, the RLDA re-floated Ahmedabad station redevelopment after making some changes in the scope of work.

According to RLDA, while the estimated cost of the redevelopment remains almost same at Rs 3,000 crore, there are changes being made to make it more competitive.

The new tender allows joint venture as against the single company in the earlier one. There was a requirement of submitting proof of three major works by the bidder for participation. Now two companies in a joint venture can submit three major works together, to be eligible for participation.

There are changes being made in the alignment of elevated road and in the civil engineering works in the new tender for Ahmedabad to attract more players, the RLDA maintains.

Construction giant, Afcons Infrastructure Limited, was the lowest bidder for Ahmedabad station redevelopment project earlier as the company had quoted Rs 5,355 crore, as against the Indian Railways' estimated cost of Rs 3,000 crore.

In September last year, the union cabinet sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore for the redevelopment of three major railway stations — New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and CSMT in Mumbai.

While the contract was awarded for CSMT last month, tenders for New Delhi and Ahmedabad stations were cancelled resulting in starting the whole process afresh for these two major stations.

The Ahmedabad project envisages a new city centre at the station by integrating both sides of the city through an elevated road network and through multi-modal integration of bullet train, metro, BRT and the railway station.

The design of redeveloped Ahmedabad station has been inspired by the iconic Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat.

The station redevelopment programme is a flagship programme of the government of India. The re-development project will be carried out in the engineering, procurement, and construction mode.

RLDA, a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways, has been entrusted with the task of redevelopment of many iconic stations.

The station redevelopment projects are intrinsically linked to urban rejuvenation. The redevelopment of these stations will offer world-class amenities to passengers and enhance their travel experience.

The projects will also lead to a multiplier effect on the local economy to boost retail, real estate and tourism sectors and generate employment opportunities.