Four railway stations to be redeveloped.

Four railway stations from the State – Kozhikode, Ernakulam Junction, Kottayam, and Palakkad – are among the 90 stations in the country to showcase local culture or history on the station façade.

The idea is to give an aesthetic makeover to the most visited stations, apart from an attempt to increase passenger amenities. The Kozhikode station is among the 23 stations in the country that will be developed with world-class facilities at a cost of ₹75 crore.

Ernakulam, which has been identified for the Smart City mission project, also figures on the list of 10 railway stations across the country to be redeveloped by the special purpose vehicle to be formed under the Union Ministries of Railways and Urban Development.

“The concept has been mooted to improve passenger services at the railway stations. So far the Ministry of Railways has not offered any proper instructions in this regard,” Naresh Lalwani, Divisional Railway Manager, Palakkad Division, told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The redevelopment plan of 90 stations has already been assigned to different zones and other nodal agencies. The executing agency for the Kozhikode, Palakkad and Kottayam railway stations will be the railway zone (Southern Railway) while for Ernakulam, it will be NBCC (India) Limited.

The Railways has identified some stations for the pilgrimage hub. The Kozhikode railway station is one of the important stations falling in Category A of the Palakkad Division with the passenger turnout exceeding 12,000-15,000 daily. However, some stations with pilgrimage importance have reported 45,000 footfall daily during the peak season.

Kozhikode has a rich heritage and local culture rooted in trading of spices with Jews, Arabs, and Chinese. Similarly Palakkad is known for the famous Kalpathy Ratholsavam. “Hopefully, architects in consultation with officials will have to work out these concepts for the station. But it will also depend on the funds allocated for the purpose,” Mr. Lalwani said.

A few themes have been worked at some stations in the country. The Aurangabad station is to showcase Ajanta or Ellora; Agra - Taj Mahal, Ujjain - Mahakaleshwar temples, and Tirupati - Sri Venkateswara Temple. Likewise, the Nagpur station may have a big orange on its premises, officials said.

THE HINDU