These 508 stations are part of 1,300 prime railway stations in the country which will be redeveloped with modernity
In a move that is expected to make rail travel a more pleasant experience, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 Railway Stations across the country via video conferencing on Sunday (August 6, 2023).

The railway stations, which will be redeveloped at a cost of more than Rs 24,470 crores, are spread across 27 States and Union Territories. The list includes 55 stations each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 15 in Haryana, 13 in Karnataka among others.

These 508 stations are part of 1,300 prime railway stations in the country which will be redeveloped with modernity as ‘Amrit Bharat Stations’ and will get a new lease of life, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

The redevelopment will provide modern passenger amenities along with ensuring well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and signage for the guidance of passengers. The design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture, the PMO added.

"There is new energy, new inspirations and new resolutions," Prime Minister Modi said while speaking at the event, adding that this marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Indian Railways. The redevelopment project will be a huge campaign for infrastructure development in the country along with the railways as well as the common citizens, he remarked.

Prime Minister Modi presented some interesting facts to highlight the extent of work done in the country's railways sector over the past few years and put the scale of expansion in perspective:

1. In the last nine years, the length of track laid in the country is more than the combined railway network in South Africa, Ukraine, Poland, the UK and Sweden, he said.

2. Prime Minister Modi added that in the last year alone, India laid more railway tracks than the combined railway network of South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

3. This year, the Railways received a budget of more than Rs 2.5 lakh crores, a five-fold increase as compared to 2014.

4. Locomotive production increased by 9 times in the last 9 years. Today, 13 times more HLB coaches are being manufactured.

5. In the last nine years, more than 2,200 km of dedicated freight corridors have been constructed, leading to a reduction in the travel time of the goods train. Now goods reach western ports from Delhi-NCR in 24 hours, a task that used to take 72 hours.

6. A 40 per cent reduction in time has been witnessed on the other routes also. This is hugely benefitting the entrepreneurs, industrialists and farmers.

7. There were less than 6,000 railway overbridges and underbridges before 2014, but today, that number has gone beyond 10,000.

8. The number of unmanned level crossings on large lines is now down to zero.

9. The number of stations that generate electricity from solar panels has increased to more than 1,200 in the last 9 years.

10. LED lights have been installed in about 70,000 coaches and the number of bio-toilets in trains has increased 28 times as compared to 2014.

According to Prime Minister Modi, the upgraded stations will not only increase tourism but will also give a push to economic activities in the nearby areas. At the same time, the ‘One Station One Product’ scheme will help the artisans and will help in the branding of the district, he said.

Prime Minister Modi explained that the government is working to make the rail journey accessible as well as pleasant. “The effort is to provide the best possible experience from train to station”, he pointed out, reffering to better seating on platforms, upgraded waiting rooms and free Wi-Fi at thousands of stations.

He said that the Amrit Stations will present a glimpse of India’s cultural and local heritage. Giving examples, Prime MMiniste Modi mentioned that Jaipur Railway Stations will have glimpses of Hawa Mahal and Amer Fort from Rajasthan, Jammu Tawi Railway Station in Jammu and Kashmir will be inspired by the famous Raghunath Mandir and Dimapur Station of Nagaland will showcase the local architecture of 16 different tribes from the region.

Prime Minister Modi also talked about the railway extension in the Northeast. Work was progressing rapidly on doubling of the lines, gauge conversion, electrification and new routes. “Soon, all state capitals of the Northeast will be connected by railway network”, he said. He also informed that Nagaland got its second station after 100 years. “Commissioning of new railway lines in the region has increased three times”, he said.