Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) is redeveloping multiple railway stations in one of the most populous city of the world, Mumbai. Andheri is one such passenger railway station. One of the busiest stations on the Western Railway Network, Andheri serves two major railway lines, namely Harbour Line that runs towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or Panvel, while the Western Line is between Churchgate and Dahanu.
- Versova – Andheri – Ghatkopar metro line station is also situated next to the station on the East side.
- Andheri is an important station with halts for long distance trains also, handling approximately 4.2 Lakh passengers per day.
- Andheri Station has 9 platforms with platform no 8 and 9 dedicated for long distance trains whereas rest of the platforms are for suburban trains.
- Primary entry to the station is from the Andheri West side of railway station, whereas the entry on the east side currently is quite congested.
- Several FOB’S connecting west side to east side of the station and one skywalk connecting G.K Gokhale Bridge ROB to Metro Station is provided for convenient passenger circulation.
- In-principle approval of Andheri Master Plan along with Floor Plans has already been received from Western Railways on 21.05.2021.
- IRSDC will be redeveloping Andheri Railway Station in a phased manner, the overall area of redevelopment is 4.31 acres in which 2.1 acres is for phase 1 construction & the rest is for phase 2 construction.
- The project cost for phase 1 redevelopment is Rs. 218 crores.
- The built up area is 21,843 sq.mt. and the model adopted for redevelopment is DBFOT (Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer).
- A proposal for the same has been processed for in principle approval of competent authority.
- RFQ (Request for Qualification) of Andheri Railway Station for phase 1 redevelopment will be issued once the required approvals are accorded.
Shri S.K. Lohia, MD Ss CEO, IRSDC said ”In addition to Andheri. IRSDC will be redeveloping Dada, Kalyan, Thakurli, Bands, CSMT, Thane and Borivali stations in Mumbai. The wort across these projects is at different stages and will be completed within the stipulated time frame. We are hopeful that redevelopment will provide passenger ease and comfort.”
- The redevelopment of the station aims to provide a concourse on the east side of the station which will connect to all FOBs and integrate the railway station with the metro station.
- Further, the entry to the station along with drop-offs/pick-ups has been planned from Versova Marg Road to ease the congestion on existing entry.
- The deck shall be fully integrated with the skywalks on Swami Nityananda Marg road.
- Further, through roof is planned above the suburban platforms, similar to the roof at Churchgate and CSMT stations so that the rain water and direct sunlight don’t enter the platform and the passengers are not discomforted.
- The station shall be 100% divyang accessible and shall be developed on green building concept.
- Andheri shall be a smart station with modern Building Management System integrated with the CCTV and other systems.
- The commercial development shall be done above the concourse level so that facilities can be developed for the passengers.
Redevelopment of Railway Stations in India:
- Redevelopment of railway stations across India is a priority agenda of the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.
- This agenda is being driven with full force by the Government with the participation of private players as a part of PPP projects.
- As part of this agenda, work on the redevelopment of 123 stations is in progress.
- Out of this, IRSDC is working on 63 stations, and RLDA is working on 60 stations.
- As per current estimates, the total investment needed for the redevelopment of 123 stations along with real estate development is about Rs 50,000 crone.
About IRSDC:
- Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) is a Joint venture company of RLDA, RITES and IRCON.
- IRSDC is at the core of Indian Railways mission of transforming the country’s railway stations into world-class 24×7 hubs and is the Nodal Agency and the main Project Development Agency (PDA) for the redevelopment of Railway stations.
- These redeveloped hubs will be called ‘Railopoli, as it will attract huge investment and business opportunities.
To fast track the redevelopment of Railway Stations and harness the true value of commercial development, the following tools have been developed by IRSDC/MoR to streamline all processes for planning, designing, tendering, implementation and management of Railway Stations in India:-
- Model Agreements for Station redevelopment and Station Facility Management
- Updation of Manual for Standards and Specifications for Railway Stations; brought out by MoR
- Handbook for Master planning & Value Creation far Railway Station (Re) development
- Harmonized Guidelines for Standards of Accessibility & Provisions of Facilities for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) in Indian Railways – by MoR
- Form-based codes for Commercial Development within Railway Land, comprising of:-
- Codes for Station Area Layout Regulating Plans
- Codes for Property Development Cards (Commercial Development)
- Codes for Architectural Design within Commercial Development
- Codes for Green Buildings within Commercial Development
- Handbook for Preparation of Layout Regulating Plans and Property Development Cards
- Codes for up-gradation of Heritage Railway Assets (For full project lifecycle)
With the application of these tools developed by IRSDC/MoR, the availability of public area in Railopolis shall increase, thus making such redeveloped railway stations as true “City Centres”.
Source: IRSDC-Press Release | Image Credit (representational): IRSDC
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