Kochi: The ambitious Rs 470-crore project to develop Ernakulam Junction railway station into international standards by next year is yet to take off though it was approved nearly four months back.
“All procedures, including handing over of required land, were completed long back. Now it’s up to the implementing agencies to invite tenders and start construction,” said a senior railway official.
A four-storey swanky building, with all modern facilities of an airport, will be set up as part of the project being implemented by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) and the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC).
KITCO had prepared a detailed plan for the project, originally scheduled to be completed by 2020-end.
As per the plan, the first two-stories of the fully-covered station will feature all passenger amenities while the top two floors will have shops, cafes, hotels, fast food restaurants, multiplex and other commercial outlets.
The construction is planned to be carried out in three stages so that the station activities won’t be affected.
Meanwhile, with regard to Kozhikode, the only other station from the state to feature in the list of stations selected for development into world-class standards, the authorities have made changes in the original DPR so as to woo agencies after the lukewarm response in the first attempt.
“The new tender will be floated soon and we’re confident of getting enough response from private agencies this time. The original plan was reworked to cut down the cost,” the official added.
