'Surat rly station to be 3rd in country to have 'airport like' facilities'

The station will be equipped with several "airport-like" amenities under the ministry's 'Rs 1 lakh crore station redevelopment' programme, they said.

SITCO, a joint venture between the IRSDC, the Surat Municipal Corporation and the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation, has invited request for qualification (RFQ) and request for proposal (RFP) for the development of a multi-modal transportation hub at the station, the officials said.

The hub will be built at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore and is expected to be ready by 2020, they said.

"It is an unique project, in which three levels of government have come together to redevelop the station. The Centre, the state as well as the urban local body will pool land together, which is a first. The construction will start this year," IRSDC Managing Director S K Lohia said.

The total land area of the station will be 3,19,700 sqm and the built up area 57,739 sqm with the size of the concourse at 9,825 sqm. The area under commercial development would be around 5,07,054 sqm.

The station would be a multi-modal transport hub with a bus terminal having a built-up area of 40,724 sqm, Lohia said.

It will also have five road under-bridges and a parking space for 900 vehicles. It is expected to cater to around 3,49,684 passengers every day, the official said.