Bids for 4 rail stations' facelift in 3-5 months

The Indian Railways is likely to invite bids for Anand Vihar, Thane and Vijayawada stations in the next three to five months, as it begins redevelopment of 16 stations in public-private partnership (PPP) mode. Delhi's Anand Vihar is first on the list, followed by Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh; Thane and Mumbai Central in Maharashtra, according to railway ministry officials.

They said the stations have been selected under a fresh plan in consultation with the Niti Aayog, keeping in mind their local relevance.

"Anand Vihar is one of the busiest stations in Delhi, primarily catering to passengers of eastern India, with footfall of about 70,000 per day. Tambaram is the busiest in north Chennai, with footfall of more than one lakh per day, about 80% suburban passengers," said a senior ministry official who did not wish to be identified.