All you need to know about the New Delhi Railway Station redevelopment plan

Based on the initial bid, the Rs 6,500-crore project will include a mix of retail, office, and hospitality developments in an area near central Delhi’s Connaught Place

Current Affairs :The Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) has invited bids from private developers for the redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) into a world-class railway station. The first phase of this project will involve development on about 110 acres of land.

Based on the initial bid, the project will include a mix of retail, office, and hospitality developments in an area near central Delhi’s Connaught Place (CP). The Rs 6,500-crore project will result in commercialisation of a 230,000-square-metre (sq mt) area, a flyover to decongest traffic at CP, the redevelopment of a stadium, and reconstruction of three railway colonies near the station.

When did it all start?

Terry Farrell and Partners, a Hong Kong-based architectural firm, submitted a master plan in 2006. This included a project of 16 commercial towers from the Paharganj end of the station to the CP end. However, the project did not take off as the proposal required the station’s shutdown for several months, the inclusion of a yard, and the planned 460,000 sq mt of commercial space extending up to CP – all of these faced objections from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

On February 8, 2008, at least 35 companies — including Reliance Energy, GMR, DLF and Videocon Industries — also expressed interest in modernising the station. The project, which was seen as a showpiece ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010, was again dropped after objections from the DDA.

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