Bhubaneswar: The existing railway station in Puri will be developed into a world-class transit hub, an official source Thursday informed.
According to the source, the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) which is a statutory authority under the Union Ministry of Railways has floated tender inviting bids for the purpose.
The existing railway station will be rebuilt based on Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Transfer (DBFOT) model. The tentative cost of the project (which excludes the cost of station estate development) has been estimated at Rs 82 crore, a statement of the RLDA read.
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Moreover, the scope of work includes upgradation and integrated development of the existing railway station spanning over 28,574 square metre in area including the development of surrounding railway land, the official statement of RLDA further said.
“Puri is a historic city and a renowned tourist hub. The redevelopment of Puri railway station will bolster tourism prospects and position it among the leading destinations for religious tourism,” vice-chairman of the RLDA Ved Parkash Dudeja said.
“Commercial development will bring surge in business activities, boost real estate and generate employment in the region. The station has been envisaged as a multimodal transit hub in line with international standards with segregation for entry, exit, baggage security, check-in area, information centre as well as art gallery,” Dudeja added.
Notably, the pre-bid meeting has been scheduled for July 15 and the last date for submission of bids is coming August 17.
Puri station is an NSG-2 category railway terminal under the Khurda division of East Coast Railway (ECoR). It is one of the busiest stations of the zone with eight platforms handling 52 trains every day. In 2018-19, Puri handled a daily footfall of around 16,680 passengers.
PNN
