South Central Railway (SCR) had floated a tender for redeveloping the Secunderabad railway station at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 653 crore. Secunderabad station is a major intercity junction and a commuter rail hub in the Hyderabad urban area. It serves as the hub of the SCR. The project will be executed in an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model. The successful bidder will have to complete the project in 36 months from the date of award of the tender. As per the tender, the bidder will be responsible for designing, procuring, constructing, commissioning and handover the project. The project includes a new three-storey station building over 22,516 sq m to be constructed on the north-side. The existing south-side building will be extended and developed with G+3 floors across 14,792 sq m. The construction of a double-storey sky concourse of 108 metres with the first tier will serve passengers, and the second tier will serve the public as a rooftop plaza of 24,604 sq m. The multi-level parking will be constructed on the north side of the station. Multi-level parking north of the station has been planned as part of the station redevelopment project. A separate underground parking lot will be developed on the south-side of the station. The station will have entry and exit lanes. It will ensure that the departing passengers do not have difficulty moving the vehicles. Moreover, the station will also include a 5000 kV solar power plant. SCR has taken up the redevelopment of the three major railway stations, Tirupati, Nellore and Secunderabad. Initially, the Secunderabad railways station was to be redeveloped by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) to redevelop railway stations across the country. IRSDC had invited bids at an estimated cost of Rs 282 crore to have an airport like facilities, including separate arrivals, departures, food courts, clean toilets, shops, etc., over 5.62 acres of land in and around Secunderabad railway station and 96,243 sq m of the main building for real estate development. The Railway Board has ordered to shut down IRSDC. The Railway Board has assigned zonal railways to take up the redevelopment projects. Image Source Also read: South Central Railway launches new 186 km double-track section