stations across the country to get facelifts

[Indian Railway News]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/starting-with-delhi-stations-
across-the-coun.../390806/

Lucknow : The Railway Ministry is gearing up to give a facelift to
stations across the country.

According to Railway board chairman K C Jena, the ministry was
preparing to transform the Delhi railway station into a world class
station through public-private partnership (PPP) model.

After Delhi, work will begin on upgrading stations at Mumbai
Central, Patna and Secundrabad. "For Delhi, consultants have already
been appointed. By February 2009 we might be able to begin work,"
said Jena on Tuesday.

He added though upgradation of the Lucknow railway station was in
the pipeline, it may take some years. "We cannot say when Lucknow
will join the list of world class stations list under the PPP model.
It will be decided after work on the first four stations gets over,"
Jena said.

The Railways will also upgrade small railway stations by
transforming them into "touch-and-feel" stations.

Describing the "touch-and-feel" concept, Ashima Singh, Divisional
Railway Manager of North-Eastern Railways, said: "The idea is to
provide facilities like Internet, touch-screen ticketing, ATMs among
a host of others in the stations."

Divisional railway managers have been authorised to utilise around
Rs 30 lakh for the upgradation of passengers' amenity in stations
under them, said Jena.

He added that SIMRAN — the system through which passengers sitting
in a train will be informed about the route and the location of the
train — will be implemented in a year's time.

The anti-collision device being developed by Research Design and
Standards Organisation is also likely to be available within a year.