Upgradation of Ajni Station: The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has invited an RFP (Request for Proposal) for the major upgradation of the Ajni Railway Station. According to the official notification, the station will be redeveloped using the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) model at a cost of INR 301 crores.

The outlined scope of work for the selected bidder shall include design and major redevelopment of the railway station, including carrying out civil works and MEP works for the station building. The deadline for e-bid submission is September 27, 2022.

After the upgradation, the entire project shall have green building features with facilities for reduction in energy consumption during construction as well as operations and maintenance. These are designed with passive energy saving features, which promotes usage of local materials and reuse the existing materials to the extent possible, which generates renewable energy on the Site and which reduces requirement for resources such as water, processing of generated waste, rain water harvesting, etc.

The upgraded station will have Sky-walks for smooth flow of railway passengers and a food plaza will also be constructed to provide hygienic food. The station will also be equipped with modern public announcement displays and boards for commuters’ convenience. The upgraded station will be secured with CCTV cameras, have a Building Management System (BMS)/Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) which is intelligently designed with facilities for panic/help buttons so that the station management can quickly respond to any requirement of passengers.

Giving information about this project, Vice-Chairman of RLDA Ved Parkash Dudeja said that the aim of the upgradation of the station is to create a railway station that is modern yet connected with traditions and Indian heritage – a complex that is a worthy representative of the New India and which provides a new iconic identity to the city of Nagpur.

The Key objectives of station upgradation is to integrate different modes of transport such as Metro & bus station and to provide commuters a world-class travel experience. The upgraded station will be safe, universally accessible with state-of-the-art FOB/Skywalks for smooth passenger movement, he further added.

It is notable that Ajni railway station is in the vicinity of Nagpur railway station on the Delhi–Chennai line. It is situated at a distance of about 2.8 km from Nagpur railway station. The Ajni railway station has a daily footfall of 6075 passengers at present. Based on the growth rate analysis and the addition of four new platforms, it is envisaged that the daily footfall in the year 2060 will be approximately 50000 passengers. Apart from the upgradation of the railway station, a bus terminal catering to multi-modal transport connectivity is also envisaged to be developed in phased manner. The location of Ajni station and adjoining land is most suitable for the development of a multi-modal transport hub. A Metro station already exists adjacent to the west side entrance of the Ajni railway station.

It is also worth mentioning that during current Financial Year, RLDA has leased out eleven sites at Liluah (Howrah), Nizamabad (Telangana), Waltax Road (Chennai), Egmore (Chennai), Bhopal (MP), Ludhiana (Punjab), Abu Road (Rajasthan), Bhusawal (Maharashtra), Chaupla Bareilly, Varanasi and Gorakhpur in UP for a cumulative lease premium of Rs. 735 Crore. In addition, Railway assets valuing approx. Rs. 163 crore shall be developed in Bhopal, Egmore (Chennai), Bareilly and Ludhiana Railway Colonies.