Indian Railways seeks new bids for ₹946 crore upgrade of Vijayawada railway station.

Indian Railways is set to float fresh tenders for the redevelopment of Vijayawada railway station after receiving a lukewarm response from contractors in the earlier bidding process, officials said.

The project, valued at ₹946.60 crore, includes ₹661.11 crore of mandatory development works to be executed under the design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) model, also known as the public-private partnership (PPP) framework.

The Ministry of Railways has identified 15 stations across the country for redevelopment under the PPP model, including Vijayawada station. The project has been entrusted to the Rail Land Development Authority for execution.

Officials said most station redevelopment projects in Andhra Pradesh, including Visakhapatnam, Nellore and Tirupati, have already been completed under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), while Vijayawada marks a shift to the PPP model for station modernization.

A consultancy representative involved in stakeholder discussions said developers require additional time to understand the PPP guidelines, as this is among the first such railway station redevelopment projects in the region.

The proposed redevelopment aims to give Vijayawada station an airport-like upgrade, including new East and West terminal buildings, a wider foot overbridge connecting all platforms, multi-level car parking facilities, and modernization of all 10 platforms. The upgraded station is expected to handle up to 20,000 passengers during peak hours.