Tirupati railway station in Andhra Pradesh has recently been awarded the Gold rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The station stands tall in terms of passenger amenities such as foot-over-bridges, lifts and escalators, snack kiosks, drinking water points, porters, wheel chairs and 100 per cent outdoor lighting fixtures powered by LED lamps. Besides, the station has adopted a host of eco-friendly measures, including a solid waste management plan, plastic-free environment and good indoor ventilation.“The station is set to be plastic-free,” confirms Ravi Kiran Maddali, Divisional Environment and Housekeeping Manager-Guntakal, South Central Railway-Guntakal Division. “It will also have seven RO water vending machines, separate bins for collecting wet and dry waste on all platforms, enhanced indoor air quality owing to carbon dioxide sensors integrated with exhaust fans, and access to daylight. The station has invested around Rs 0.7 million and already achieved a savings of Rs 0.821 million in the first year, thus having a payback of less than a year.”What’s more, the station reportedly has a housekeeping plan, a 40-kWp rooftop solar system that caters to 11.7 per cent of its non-traction energy consumption, a solar water heating system and smart passenger services.The Green Railway Station Rating system has been developed by CII-IGBC, in association with the support of Environment Directorate of Indian Railways, which includes operational savings, reduction in electrical energy consumption, reduction in water consumption, effective waste management, improved accessibility to stations, enhanced health, well-being and safety of commuters, good ventilation, indoor environment quality, and user-friendly design for the differently abled and elderly.The evaluation of the ranking is broadly done in six environmental categories, which include sustainable station facility and health, hygiene and sanitation, energy and water efficiency, smart and green initiatives, innovation and development, adds Maddali.