The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has invited a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Delhi Cantonment Railway Station redevelopment.
RLDA sources said that the station would be redeveloped for Rs 335 crore and work is likely to be finished in 30 months from the award of the tender. The Delhi Cantonment railway station was constructed in 1914 and used to serve mainly the cantonment region. With time, people settled near the army premises resulting in augmented footfalls. The station requires a revamp to satisfy the renewed demand. Residents said the station lacks appropriate walkways, and people cross the tracks to go to the platform. While there stands a renovated building connected to platform 1, the station has no fencing from the platform 4 side, thus revealing the station site to nearby shanties and vegetable markets. People arriving from the Nangal Raya side have to cross tracks to go to any platform. E-rickshaws too have wreaked devastation on the entry road for platform 1, as they were observed parked on the road looking out for passengers, thus causing congestion and making jam-like circumstances, said a resident. It was only in 2020 that the Delhi station was electrified. Currently, the railway station caters to 110 trains, but none of them originate from here. Given that the station is strategically located in South West Delhi and links to major regions of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Gujarat, the redevelopment of the station will be a boon for the passengers. The residents feel that the station redevelopment will also have a favourable effect on the development of surrounding regions. The RLDA sources said that the key purposes of station up-gradation are to deliver best-in-class amenities to passengers and improve their travel experience. The scope of work shall extensively cover significant up-gradation of the railway station, including but not restricted to undertaking civil and Mechanical-Electrical-Plumbing (MEP) works for in and near station complexes. RLDA sources said the new station building would address the current problems as it will not only promote planned pickup and drop but would also handle entry from both sides of the station. Image Source
