The redevelopment of Varanasi station is part of a larger plan to upgrade and modernise railway stations across the country by the Indian Railway.
As part of the plan, 57 Railway stations have been identified for redevelopment under ‘Major Upgradation of Railway Stations’.
Ministry of Railways is undertaking techno-economic feasibility studies for the redevelopment of the stations. Based on the outcome of these feasibility studies, stations are planned to be taken up for redevelopment in phases, especially the stations located in major cities and important tourist destinations.
The work for redevelopment has been taken up at 43 stations, while 21 stations are at different stages of tendering and planning.
The 57 stations which have been identified for redevelopment under ‘Major Upgradation of Railway Stations’ on Indian Railways include Gaya, Bapudham Motihari and Muzaffarpur railway Stations in the state of Bihar.
Three railway stations viz. Rani Kamlapati Railway Station (Madhya Pradesh), Gandhinagar Railway Station (Gujarat) and Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal (Karnataka) have been developed and commissioned.
Modernisation and upgradation of railway stations are carried out through the Plan-Head Customer Amenities. The railway is spending roughly ₹2000 -2,500 crore every year for station redevelopment. For FY23, the allocation is ₹2,700 crore while expenditure till October this year has been ₹986.92 crore.
