Rajasthan: Jodhpur Railway Station To Get A Facelift, Work Begins On Rs 474 Crore Revamp Plan

The North-Western Railway (NWR) Zone has started the redevelopment project of Rajasthan’s Jodhpur Railway Station.

The upgradation is expected to transform it into a modern station with airport-like facilities.

The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) in 2022 had invited bids for the upgradation work of Jodhpur Railway Station under NWR Zone of Indian Railways.

In September 2022, the RLDA awarded the contract for redevelopment of Jodhpur station to a consortium comprising Vishal Infrastructure Ltd, OJSC Euro and Asian Construction Corporation Evrascon.

The RLDA has already issued the letter of agreement for the work to the selected contractor. The project will be completed in three years at a cost of Rs 474 crore.

Jodhpur Station

Jodhpur, the second largest city in Rajasthan, also known as the “Blue City”, is a popular tourist destination, featuring many palaces, forts and temples, set in the stark landscape of the Thar Desert.

Jodhpur Railway Station, which is among the major junctions in the northwestern part of the country, receives a footfall of over 42,000 passengers every day with 63 major trains passing through it.

However, with the increase in local commuters and tourists, the railway station needs to be redeveloped, to sustain itself in the future.

The core idea behind the redevelopment and design of the station and its premises is to revamp the circulation, upgrade the station with modern facilities and provide travellers a better and seamless experience — at the same time utilising the commercial potential of the underutilised railway land.

Plan

The revamped railway station will be like airports with separate entrance and exit terminals, different levels of mezzanine floor, skywalks, shopping kiosks, food courts and hotels for executive stays.

As per the approved plan, construction of a multi-storey building has been proposed at Jodhpur station. The new station will have a multi-level car parking, separate gates for arrival/departure, security checking area, 72-metre-wide concourse area, including, 32 new lifts and 16 new escalators in the main station building.

The foot over bridges at the station will be connected to the sky walk.

The entire redevelopment of Jodhpur Railway Station will reflect the rich heritage of the ‘Blue City’.

Inspired by traditional Jodhpur architecture, elements such as Chhatri, moldings and Jodhpur sandstone will be used to make the station building, in harmony with the city.

The exterior of the new building shall be constructed and designed with such a facade, exclusively and exhaustively, to represent the local heritage and cultural richness.

10 Stations Under Progress

The North Western Railway (NWR) will renovate 10 railway stations over the next two years to improve facilities for passengers.

The railway stations to be revamped first are Gandhinagar Jaipur, Jaipur Junction, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur.

At a later stage, the railway stations at Pali, Marwar, Bikaner, Ajmer and Abu Road will be renovated.