Title - Railways to develop stations for more revenue

East Central Railway (ECR) has decided to accelerate the 'Railway Station Development Corporation' (RSDC) plan with a view to developing important stations falling under its jurisdiction. The railways has set up a separate RSDC with an aim to improve passenger amenities at most of the stations across the country.According to an ECR official, the railways has set up the corporation to undertake the project in a holistic manner. Under the plan being worked out, the railways will develop major stations under the ECR from the point of view of cmercial exploitation. "Restaurants, shopping areas and food plazas would be developed at major stations to help the railways generate more revenue from its premises," he said.

According to sources, the railways recently wrote letters to all the state governments with a request to cooperate with it for the development of stations in their respective states under the RSDC plan. It would give facelift to stations besides offering shopping and refreshment facilities to passengers visiting the station areas.

The railways has urged Ircon and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) to work out details in the matter so that this project could be given a practical shape, the official said.

According to the sources, the railways' old plan to create world-class stations has been replaced with the new plan which basically aims at improving passenger amenities for commercial purposes. The railways has decided to develop select stations, including Patna Junction, Gaya, Mughalsarai, Dhanbad, Muzaffarpur and Barauni, in the first phase, the ECR official said and added a plan had already been approved to build a food plaza outside Patna Junction.

The railways has chalked out both long and short-term plans to generate additional revenue from the station premises, the sources said. It is in touch with several reputed firms of the world to prepare a blueprint for the development of railway stations for commercial exploitation on the pattern of railway stations in European countries, the sources said.