Redevelopment of Kozhikode Railway Station put on fast track

Kozhikode Railway Station to be redeveloped to int'l standards; Rank Paradise awarded bid for ₹445.95 crore. Facilities on par with airports, 5,760 sq. m. concourse, two foot overbridges, two terminals, multi-level parking, sewage treatment plants, surface parking, escalators & lifts, dormitories & improved waiting lounges. Construction to start soon, to be completed in 36 months.

The redevelopment of the Kozhikode Railway Station to international standards has been put on fast track with the Southern Railway accepting the bid of one of the agencies that had expressed interest in the project.

The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (Construction) of the Southern Railway on November 17 sent a letter of acceptance to Rank Paradise, an agency based in Mullai Nagar, Salem, Tamil Nadu. The accepted cost for the work is ₹445.95 crore, according to sources in the Southern Railway.

The proposed plan for the redevelopment is expected to introduce facilities on par with airports at the railway station. A 5,760-square metre concourse will be the biggest attraction of the station. The 48-metre wide concourse will connect the first floors of the terminals coming up on east and west sides of the station and will have amenities such as business lounge, commercial outlets, seating arrangements, ATMs, eateries and toilets, similar to an airport lounge. Two foot overbridges will run parallel to it on both sides. That the concourse will be accessible to the public without platform tickets will be an added attraction.

The redevelopment includes demolition of more than 90% of the existing buildings at the railway station. It will, however, be carried out in a phased manner, without affecting the normal functioning of the station.

“A total of 45.42 acres of railway land will be utilised. This will be the biggest of all railway station renovation projects in the State,” sources connected to the Southern Railway Palakkad Division said.

The two terminal buildings on the east and west side of the station will be of 13,248 square metre each and will be four storeys high. However, there will be a mezzanine floor between the ground floor and the first floor. The redevelopment will change the map of Kozhikode city as well. The open spaces in the front and back side of the railway station at present will be consumed by the new terminals. While the road at the front will be moved further east, a new road connecting Francis Road and Cherooty Road in the city will come up behind the west terminal.

Elaborate multi-level parking facility, sewage treatment plants, surface parking, at least a dozen more escalators and lifts, dormitories and improved passenger waiting lounges will be part of the renovated railway station.