Bhubaneswar, Jul 9 : The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has invited bids to develop Puri Railway Station into a world class transit hub soon.Railway sources said the station will be built on Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Transfer Model (DBFOT), and the tentative cost of the project (excluding the cost of redevelopment of station estate) is estimated at Rs 82 crores.
The scope of work includes the up-gradation and integrated redevelopment of the Puri Railway Station spanning 28,574 sq. m. and the development of the surrounding railway land.
The pre-bid meeting for this is scheduled for July 15 and the deadline for the bid submission is August 17 next.The redevelopment of Puri Railway Station will bolster tourism prospects and position it among the leading destinations for religious tourism.The commercial development will also lead to a surge in business activities, boost real estate and generate employment in the region,” * RLDA Vice Chairman Ved Parkash Dudeja said.
The station is envisaged as a multimodal transit hub in line with international standards with segregation for entry and exit, baggage security, check-in area, an information centre /enquiry centre and art gallery.It will have provision for differently-abled, including access ramps, lifts and tactile flooring,green building features with sustainable and energy-efficient design, maximum use of natural light and ventilation, rainwater harvesting, solar energy generation with a minimum GRIHA 3-Star rating.Puri Railway Station is an NSG-2 category terminal station under the Khurda division of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) Zone.It is one of the busiest stations of East Coast Railway, which has eight platforms handling 52 trains including mail, express and passenger trains daily.In 2018-19, Puri handled a daily footfall of almost 16,680 passengers.
