Prime Minister To Inaugurate State-Of-The-Art Gandhinagar Capital Station

Making giant strides in station redevelopment programme, the rail premises at Gandhinagar equipped with modern amenities is going to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (16 July).

Redevelopment of Gandhinagar Capital station will create an investment cycle and job opportunities, and in general uplift the economy of the Gujarat capital.

The first-of-its-kind project in India will pave the way for similar development in land stressed cities like Mumbai and Bangalore.

As per the plan, many retail outlets including food and entertainment plazas are slated to open in this area to serve the demands of the passengers as well as the local population.

Market players such as Big Bazaar and Shoppers Stop have also shown interest in opening mini outlets, making it convenient for the passengers and local population to shop at the station. The redeveloped station will function like a “city centre rail mall” where travel will be one of the several functions that it will serve.

The station is future ready, and the concourse will be used for departing passengers when the passenger numbers increase at the station.

The unique project was taken up in partnership with the Gujarat government and the railways through Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation forming a joint venture company named GARUD (Gandhinagar Railway and Urban Development Corporation).

The station is equipped with modern facilities like ample waiting spaces, through column less roof to provide protection against sun/rain etc, air-conditioned multipurpose waiting hall, baby feeding room, improved signages and modern toilets, interfaith prayer room for the common man.

Other amenities like the art gallery, theme facade lighting, etc will provide additional attractions which will not only enhance passenger satisfaction but will also prove to be a matter of pride for all as this station can boast of many firsts in the country.

Without the concourse, the redeveloped station has been designed to handle 1,500 passengers in peak hour. With the concourse, the capacity will go up to 2,200 passengers in the peak hour.

As a part of the mission, work on the redevelopment of 125 stations is in progress. Out of this, IRSDC is working on 63 stations, and RLDA is working on 60 stations with two stations being taken up by zonal railways.

The total investment for the redevelopment of 123 stations along with real estate development is more than Rs 50,000 crore.

The station offers an accessible environment for the divyangjan and has lifts and ramps at all locations. Other facilities like tactile flooring are also provided.

The station aims to conserve the natural built environment, through use of sustainable materials like Portland Pozzolana Cement, fly ash bricks etc, and reducing the water, electricity requirements through energy efficient designs, rain water harvesting and recycling of water.

Taken up on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model, Gandhinagar Railway Station is the Indian Railway's first station to have adopted this model for redevelopment.

Providing subways, large foundations to support the tall building and launching the through roof trusses were unique engineering challenges, which were addressed successfully during execution of the work.

In fact, learning from this project is going to help in execution of such complicated projects in crowded areas of cities and the impact of this project will be far and wide.

Daily changeable theme-based lighting with 32 themes is one of the key highlights of the Gandhinagar station which is the first ever on Indian Railways. The concept behind the theme lighting as planned for Gandhinagar Railway Station is to use the redeveloped station as a big canvas.

The LED lights are designed to change hue everyday to add “colour to concrete” and bring life to the building after sunset. The dancing lights shall be used to make the place a destination for common man. When the facade lighting on the station will interact with the Dandi Kutir situated opposite the railway station, with one of the tallest buildings in Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar area at 77m in the backdrop, it will be a sight to behold.

The people of Gandhinagar, and tourists who visit Dandi Kutir, will be able to enjoy the outdoor ambience from the green belt created in the circulating area of the redeveloped station.

The newly developed Gandhinagar Capital Railway Station includes spacious entrance lobby with ticketing facility, state-of-the-art external façade and landscaping, theme-based lighting, dedicated exclusive art gallery with live LED wall and display lounge.

Waiting hall platforms are likely to cater to around 500 passengers and also have air-conditioned baby feeding rooms. Platforms are also connected with sub-ways and adequate parking facilities.

Station redevelopment is a priority area for the railways and besides Gandhinagar, stations at Habibganj and Bengaluru are being implemented.

Stations at Ayodhya, Bijwasan, Gomtinagar, Safdurjung and Ajni are also being redeveloped.