Visakhapatnam, Feb 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 554 railway stations across Indian Railways on February 26. Out of these, 12 stations are in the Waltair division, Saurabh Prasad, Divisional Railway Manager, said.

Saurabh Prasad addressed a press meet conducted at the DRM conference hall on Saturday and mentioned that 12 stations will get new buildings, world-class amenities, 12-meter-wide Foot Over Bridges and a second entry to the station.

"On February 26, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone and dedicate to the nation the redevelopment of 554 railway stations across Indian Railways. Out of these 12 stations are in the Waltair division. These stations are being redeveloped at Rs 443 crores," he said.

"Rayagada railway station is being redeveloped as a major upgrade for Rs 243.51 crore. In the state of Andhra Pradesh, we have 10 stations that are being developed under the Amrit Bharat schemes and Visakhapatnam station is getting redeveloped as a major upgrade, for which the foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister in November 2022," he added.

He also mentioned that on the Waltair division as a whole, Rs 1030 crore has been sanctioned for the redevelopment of stations.

"Apart from station redevelopments, we have four locations where the railway level crossing gates will be replaced by road overbridges. This work is being done for Rs 218 crore. The detailed estimate for these road-over bridges has already been sanctioned and the work on them will start soon. With this kind of input, Waltair Division will be getting a major upgrade in the infrastructure and we also aim to eliminate level crossings and replace them with road overbridges," Saurabh Prasad said.

In the Andhra Pradesh portion of Waltair Division, the stations to be redeveloped under Amrit Bharat Stations are Simhachalam, Araku, Parvatipuram, Bobbili, Kottavalasa, Chipurupalle, Srikakulam Road, and Naupada stations.

Notably, Amrit Bharat trains will have better station accessibility, air conditioning, a wider FOB, waiting areas, toilet facilities, lift and escalator and cleanliness.

The redeveloped station under this scheme will also have free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products through initiatives like 'One Station One Product', enhanced passenger information systems, executive lounges, and spaces for business meetings.

Integration of stations with the surrounding city areas on both sides, promotion of multimodal connectivity, and transformation of stations into vibrant city centres over the long term.

(ANI)