Chennai central in line for makeover
Private players to bid for development project.
Chennai: Chennai Central railway station that sees a footfall of several lakhs of people every day is all set to undergo massive changes, as the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the redevelopment of Chennai station is likely to be ready by September. The first round of bids will be open on May 22, say officials.
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is the strategic adviser, working with JLL for conducting site inspections and assessment of railway stations. The Railway Board appointed Ernst and Young as the transaction adviser, to deal with queries on the plans and the redevelopment programme.
According to senior Southern Railway officials, Australian Trade commissioner Dr Grayson Perry met the Chief Planning and Development Engineer, regarding the redevelopment of Chennai and Calicut stations.
“During the pre-bid meeting held in March, representatives from the Australian consulates also were present as they are interested in financing the developers,” said a senior official.
“The maintenance of the amenities will be left to the players. The Railways will focus on running the train services and further improving them, but the amenities will come under one umbrella and taken care by the private players,” said the senior official.
The land for exploitation will be given to private players on a 45-year lease. A reserve land on Allikulam Road will be given to players near Chennai Central.
The station will be redeveloped to provide better amenities including food, restrooms, WiFi availability, books and refreshment stalls, convergence with other modes of transport (buses and Chennai Metro Rail), market spaces, and other commercial establishments - a model that would help the developers earn revenue and provide facilities for passengers.
The Southern Railway is working with the state government for easy approvals and sanctions. “The government has appointed Phanindra Reddy as the nodal officer for all sanctions regarding the redevelopment programme. He has, in turn, appointed officers in water, electricity and other departments as the sole officers for all requests. Similarly, from Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) we have a nodal officer,” the official added.
A total of Rs. 350 crore and Rs. 75 crore have been sanctioned for the redevelopment of Chennai Central and Kozhikode stations respectively. The redevelopment programme is slated for 414 ‘A1’ and ‘A’ railway stations across the country, including 50 in Southern Zone.