Redevelopment of railway stations is a priority agenda of the government that will transform railway station Areas into a ‘Railopolis’
Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC), the nodal agency for station redevelopment in India, has developed a comprehensive set of handbooks, guidebooks, and codes for station redevelopment, including commercial development on railway land on principles of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
An official release said that redevelopment of railway stations is a priority agenda of the government that will transform railway station Areas into a ‘Railopolis’ – a mini smart city with mixed-use development where one can live, work, play and ride thus attracting huge investment and business opportunities. The release said these redeveloped stations will provide state-of-the-art amenities to the passengers and enhance their travel experience.
While developing the codes, IRSDC has adopted a form-based codes approach, as per the guidebook issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
IRSDC will present the first of its path-breaking codes/ guidebook/ handbook for station redevelopment along with commercial development on Railway land on April 19 through a national webinar as part of the stakeholder engagement exercise.
The release said that the first-of-its-kind codes have been prepared by IRSDC over a period of time after thorough research, feedback from stakeholders, and studying global as well as national best practices.
“Implementation of these codes will offer multiple benefits such as standardization of planning, implementation and maintenance process, the ease-of-doing process for encouraging public-private partnership, flexibility in asset use for sustainable development. These codes have been developed with a holistic approach in convergence with other national schemes like Smart Cities/AMRUT, National Transit Oriented Development Policy, green building norms and affordable housing,” the release said.
