Double bonanza: World-class railway station for ‘solar’ Ranchi

Wednesday was a day of double bonanza for the state capital. In the morning, chief minister Raghubar Das announced that he would make Ranchi a solar city by the end of the year. Hours later, Ranchi formally joined the 22 other railway stations that will be upgraded to ‘world class’ standards.

Union minister for railways Suresh Prabhu here launched the railways’ ambitious station re-development project under which Ranchi and 22 other stations will be converted into commercial hubs equipped with superior passenger amenities.

Ranchi station will have a host of passenger-friendly amenities such as self-ticketing centres, executive lounges, escalators and walkways and luggage screening machines. It will also have shopping malls, restaurants, cafeteria, and hotels for the convenience of passengers.

Envisaged by the Railway Board in 2015, the project, which will be implemented on a public private partnership (PPP) basis, is expected to increase non-fare revenue shares of the railways under lease agreement arrangements.

Senior divisional commercial manager (Ranchi) Neeraj Kumar said tenders for the project will be floated next week. “Private players will submit their plans and based on their plans and lowest bidding, they will be selected,” he added.

Source:TOI