PM Modi inaugurates 103 railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated 103 redeveloped railway stations, spread across 86 districts in 18 states and Union Territories, under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. He also flagged off a new weekly train between Bandra Terminus in Mumbai and Bikaner station in Rajasthan.
After praying at the Karni Mata temple in Deshnoke, around 30 km away from Bikaner and nearly 200 km from the International Border with Pakistan, PM Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Deshnoke railway station, and virtually inaugurated 102 other stations.
Of the 103 stations redeveloped at a cost of over Rs 1,100 crore, 19 are in Uttar Pradesh, 18 in Gujarat, 15 in Maharashtra, nine in Tamil Nadu, eight in Rajasthan, six in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, three each in Jharkhand, Telangana and West Bengal, two each in Bihar and Kerala and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Puducherry.
A total of 1,300 stations have been identified for redevelopment under the scheme. Out of these, 157 are in Uttar Pradesh, followed by 132 in Maharashtra and 101 in West Bengal.
Launched in 2022, the Amrit Bharat Scheme s a long-term plan to improve railway stations and develop them as “city centers”. According to the Ministry of Railways, under the scheme, detailed plans are made for each station, and the work is done in phases, based on what each station needs
Among the stations redeveloped under the scheme, Deshnoke railway station, which serves pilgrims and tourists visiting the Karni Mata Temple, among others, has been heavily inspired by temple architecture. While Begumpet railway station in Telangana incorporates design elements inspired by the architecture of the Kakatiya empire, Thawe station in Bihar has murals and artworks depicting Madhubani paintings. Dakor station in Gujarat is inspired by Ranchhodrai Ji Maharaj.
The redeveloped stations feature various facilities such as entry and exit points, waiting halls, toilets, platforms, and roofing. Along with this, lifts, escalators, and free Wi-Fi are added wherever needed. There are also better signs and information systems to help passengers. Some stations will have executive lounges and special areas for business meetings. Local products will be sold at kiosks under the ‘One Station One Product’ scheme.