Railway Board sanctions funds for renovating Visakhapatnam Station

Plans of renovating the Visakhapatnam Railway Station are in progress as the Railway board sanctions Rs 10 crore to the Waltair division of East Coast Railway (ECoR).

The Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs), as a part of renovating 70 railway stations in the country, has been ordered to send the necessary project report with architectural models.

From introducing modern art and new design to providing and developing amenities for seating and parking for passengers, the Railway Board has informed the officials to send a detailed report.

Speaking to TOI, Waltair Divisional Railway Manager, MS Mathur, said, “We have got approval for the renovation of the station for Rs 10 crore. We will be inviting tenders in the next few weeks and hopefully complete the project by March 2019.”

“The station would wear a new look from the next financial year. Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam stations in Andhra Pradesh got the approval for renovation in the first phase,” Mathur added.

The Rs 10 crore project is different from the earlier proposal of renovating the Visakhapatnam Railway Station at a cost of Rs 200 Crore. Mathur said that the earlier proposal is still pending and the Railway Board does not want to depend on private sector investment.

Mathur said, “The renovation project will not touch any issues related to the operational needs of the railways. This project is only meant for the beautification of the station.”

He also added that suggestions from the locals would be collected for the renovation plan.

Visakhapatnam Railway Station bagged the first place among the list of cleanest stations in the country in the 2017 Swach Rankings.