Imagine a railway station run by the private sector?

In a significant move, the Railways are preparing a blueprint to set up greenfield railway terminals across the country under private-public partnership.

The locations, which are being looked at, include a new terminal in Patna and Bijwasan (near Delhi).

Under the plan, the Railways would acquire and lease out the land to the private concessionaire.

The private developer would construct and maintain all facilities during the construction period and run the operations for a specific period. The Railways will repossess all the assets after the concession period

The move is a part of the Railways new thrust to modernise stations and improve facilities for customers through private sector participation as the battle with low cost airlines hots up.

The Railways have identified 16 stations, which would be modernised under the public-private partnership in various parts of the country. These include New Delhi, Chennai, Howrah, Mumbai CST, Bangalore, Bhopal and Lucknow amongst others.

A senior railway official said that the focus would be first on developing additional terminals at stations in the four metros, as these stations handle a lot of traffic.

Meanwhile, the ministry has selected the UK based company Terry Farrell and Partners, an architectural firm, for preparing the feasibility report and master plan for modernisation of New Delhi Railway Station.

The modernisation of stations would include setting up shopping and food plazas, budget hotels and retiring rooms. It also includes setting up spatial segregation of facilities at different floor levels for smooth passenger flow.

Other facilities such as segregation of incoming and outgoing passengers, major facilities at first floor or underground concourse level, and direct vehicular access to the concourse would also have to be suggested by the company.