SURAT (Metro Rail News): Surat is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It is an epicentre of trade & commerce with bustling economic activity, which has boosted employment opportunities. Western Railway runs many trains in various directions of the country, catering to the demands of the people of Surat.
Indian Railways is accelerating the work of transforming significant stations across the country into modern & world-class stations. One thousand two hundred seventy-five railway stations across the country have been identified for upgradation & modernization under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 87 stations are in Gujarat. Surat station is also one of them, which will be given a major facelift and is set to become the “New Railway Station of New India“.
According to a press release by Shri Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway- Surat station’s redevelopment work has commenced and is progressing in full swing. The work is being undertaken by Surat Integrated Transport Corporation (SITCO), which is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed between the Indian Railways & Government of Gujarat.
The station is being redeveloped at an estimated cost of Rs. 1475 crore, including the share of Gujarat Govt. of Rs. 462 crores. In Phase I, the work of Rs 980 crore will be undertaken, out of which the Railway’s share is Rs. 683 crore, while that of the Gujarat Govt. is Rs. 297 crore. It is targeted to be completed by May 2027.
Giving further details, Shri Thakur stated that Surat station is being developed as a Multi–Modal Transport Hub (MMTH), which will integrate Railways, GSRTC City Bus Terminal station, Metro, etc., to provide seamless connectivity. In addition, Surat station has been designed with an architectural ambience which will ensure that the entire station premises have an overall look and feel of a business centre of international standards.
The unified theme through appropriate facades, finishes, colours, materials, and textures will add to its splendour. The work under Phase I of this project has already commenced. Shifting the utilities, such as electrical cables & pipelines, is in progress at the east side Railway station building. A 164-meter-long and 87-meter-wide building will be built at this site, targeted to be completed in one and a half years.
The excavation work is also in progress at the GSRTC site for building the foundation and drainage diversion. The station building on the western side will be demolished once the east side building is ready, and necessary offices and installations on the West side will be shifted to the new Eastside station building.
Additionally, the station is well-equipped with adequate areas for various amenities & facilities. For example, the plan includes segregated Arrival / Departure Passenger Plazas, Congestion free & conflict-free Entry / Exits in Station Premises, underground parking arrangements, etc.
The concourse of more than 10900 sqm with adequate seating, a waiting area & vast circulation space will have lounges & retail spaces and will be connected by skywalks across the MMTH for a better user experience. The concourse/waiting spaces will also consist of passenger amenities & facilities above the platforms to avoid overcrowding on platforms.
The railway station will be 100% Divyang Friendly. Forty-one lifts and 70 escalators will be installed in the entire station complex. The station building will be a Green Building of Platinum rating with features for efficient use of energy, water and other resources, renewable energy, etc. The station will also be equipped with state-of-the-art safety & security technology consisting of intelligently designed features for better station management, including SCADA and BMS.
