Southern Railway is undertaking a comprehensive facelift of its stations. In tune with Indian Railways’ initiative to upgrade stations on a continuous basis with a long-term vision, Southern Railway has identified 90 railway stations for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS). Amrit Bharat Station Scheme aims at preparation of Master Plans of Railway stations and implementation of Master Plans in a graded manner to enhance the facilities at railway stations.
Sanctioned works for ABSS scheme- Phase-I
There will be a total of 90 railway stations in Southern Railway revamped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, with each of the six divisions developing 15 stations.
Consultancy contracts were awarded at a value of Rs.13.88 Crores in 2022-23 and the scope of work includes preparation of Master plan envisaging development of stations on long term basis, in phased manner, with long term vision.
Master Plans have been prepared by the Consultant and approved by Railway administration for all the 90 stations.Based on this Master plan, work to be done under Phase-I have been identified and Tender for developmental works have been awarded for 35 stations and process for finalizing tenders is in final stages for the remaining stations. In this connection, Rs.934 crores has been sanctioned in the year 2023-24.
The division-wise breakup is given below:
| Sanctioned works for Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Southern Railway | ||
| Division | No. of works | Sanctioned cost in Rs. Crores |
| Chennai | 44 | 251.97 |
| Salem | 22 | 150.47 |
| Palakkad | 26 | 195.54 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 15 | 108.00 |
| Tiruchchirappalli | 22 | 123.47 |
| Madurai | 19 | 104.56 |
| Total | 148 | 934.00 |
Key features
Amrit Bharat Station scheme aims to cater for introduction of new amenities for passengers as well as upgradation and replacement of existing amenities. The following improvements are planned at the identified stations as part of Phase-I development under Amrit Bharat Scheme at the 90 railway stations in Southern Railway:
· Foot Over Bridges (12 m wide FOBs are planned at 13 Nos. of stations
· Escalators & Lifts (2 Nos. of Escalators & 48 Nos. of lifts sanctioned at various stations across SR)
· Improvements to circulating area
· Two/four wheeler parking
· Landscaping / Horticulture
· Integrated Passenger Information System
· Signages
· Improvements to Platforms & Platform shelters
· SS benches, Taps & Wash basins
· Better illumination & Power supply arrangements
· CCTV
Measures taken for fast tracking the work:
· Guidelines have been issued to Gati Shakti units regarding drawings, detailing and timelines for completion of each work
· The progress of ABSS work will be monitored by DRMs and reviewed by GM regularly
