Decade of Change: Indian Railways drives historic shift in east and northeast

Railways in eastern and north-eastern India have gone through a considerable and dynamic change over the last ten years.

PM Modi’s vision driving infrastructure growth

Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northeast Frontier Railway, stated that under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Railways has played a major role in boosting growth in the eastern and northeastern part of India through its infrastructure developments.

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"Earlier the Indian Railway system was restricted by geography, outdated infrastructure, and the problem of accessibility, but now these regions are experiencing a historic transformation by switching over to completely integrated and modern Railway systems.

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at the core

The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, the world's largest railway station redevelopment scheme, which is a new milestone in public infrastructure, is at the forefront of this transformation" said Sharma in a press release.

He further mentioned that the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, which is not merely a railway stations modernization program, demonstrates a very creative and futuristic mindset in the context of railway infrastructure.

1,300+ stations redesigned nationwide

The initiative that involved the redevelopment of more than 1,300 railway stations across the country, is the expression of a leadership that has a high score in terms of results and infrastructure and a very low score in terms of intents and inertia.

The buildings' redevelopments not only transformed their facades significantly but also included the following: the modern digital information systems installation and the local heritage-inspired waiting areas for passengers provision, hence the stations became the modern, accessible and regionally rooted gateways of growth," he said.

In fact, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme was highlighted as a total and future-oriented project which would in return give the whole infrastructure a people-centric vision.

West Bengal as a model for railway modernisation

"Transforming stations in lively public spaces and centres of economic activity, the scheme thus promotes the region's trade movement and at the same time, the overall passenger experience is improved. West Bengal is well on its way to being a model for passenger-centric railway modernization."

The state is changing the whole Rail travel experience little by little through the improved safety, accessibility, and mobility. The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme has envisaged 101 Amrit Bharat stations for West Bengal at a cost of approximately Rs 3,600 crore for the whole project.

"These redevelopments are spanning metropolitan hubs, border towns and pilgrimage centres, which ensures that the regional development is balanced and inclusive," said Sharma, as reported by ANI.

Major junctions and facilities get a boost

Besides, it was disclosed that Howrah, Sealdah, New Jalpaiguri, Kharagpur, Asansol, Bandel, Malda Town, Siliguri, Alipurduar, Shalimar and Santragachi the major railway junctions are all going to be upgraded under a unified vision of modernisation.

"Besides, the major redevelopment projects keep the momentum going. New Jalpaiguri can expect to spend around Rs 335 crore getting a new terminal, an air concourse, and other passenger facilities while transforming into a modern gateway to North-East. On the other hand, Santragachi is going to be developed as a key multi-modal hub accommodating around Rs 380 crore, facilitating the Howrah-Kolkata corridor."

Additionally, the CPRO of Northeast Frontier Railway indicated that "passenger facilities have increased remarkably as evidenced by the installation of 250 lifts, over 400 escalators, and Wi-Fi connectivity at 510 stations, which all point to the high priority given to accessibility and operational efficiency."