The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) said it will be redeveloping the Somnath Railway Station in Gujarat. The station will be upgraded on the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) model and the tentative cost of the upgradation is estimated at Rs 134 crore.
The RLDA has invited RFP (Request for Proposal) for the upgradation work, it said in a statement.
Once upgraded, the station will have a building facade exhibiting the local heritage of Somnath Temple with segregated arrival and departure lounges and provision to integrate the station with GSRTC Bus Stand in future. The station will be developed by adopting Green Building Concept for Energy Saving.
The upgradation work is planned to be completed in two years, RLDA added.
"Veraval (Somnath) is a historic city and a prominent tourist hub. The upgradation of the Somnath Railway Station will strengthen the tourism prospects of the area. The upgraded station will also enhance the travel experience of the commuters and will also lead to a surge in business activities in the region," said Ved Parkash Dudeja, Vice Chairman, RLDA.
Somnath Railway Station belongs to the Western Railway of Bhavnagar Division. The upgraded railway station will benefit both the tourists and travellers that visit Somnath Temple and nearby areas.
According to the RLDA, the upgraded railway station will strengthen industries such as boat manufacturing, fish processing factories and rayon manufacturing. RLDA is working to redevelop over 100 railway stations across India.
Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) is a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways for the development of Railway land. It has four key mandates as a part of its development plan, namely leasing commercial sites, colony redevelopment, station redevelopment and multi-functional complexes.