IRSDC invites bids to set up 'Rail Arcade' at Chandigarh, KSR Bengaluru Railway Stations

New Delhi [India], September 3 : Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) on Friday invited bids for setting-up, operation, management and transfer of 'Rail Arcade' at KSR Bengaluru Railway Station and Chandigarh Railway Station for a period of nine years.
"The objective of this initiative is to provide best-in-class amenities to passengers and boost their travel experience. It is a part of IRSDC's overall mandate to undertake the Facility Management of five railway stations across India- KSR Bengaluru, Pune, Anand Vihar, Chandigarh and Secunderabad to enhance customer experience and make travel a safe and hassle-free experience," IRSDC stated in a release.
Demand-oriented design, excellent quality, safety and security, innovative offerings, attractive revenue generation model and sustainability will be the hallmarks of this initiative. The Rail Arcade is envisaged as a mini-city centre with Food and Beverage, Entertainment, Leisure and Retail facilities.
"As an organization at the forefront of station redevelopment, IRSDC embodies customer-centricity and innovation in its core philosophy. The planned Rail Arcade has been envisaged as a one-stop destination for Food and Beverage, Retail, Entertainment and Recreation. It will enable passengers to utilize their mundane waiting time and turn it into leisure hours, and they will look forward to visiting these stations. As an integrated facility, Rail Arcade will fuel commercial activities and will be a formidable step in transforming railway stations into a RAILOPOLIS- an integrated mini smart city to 'Work, Play and Ride'," said S.K. Lohia, Managing Director and CEO, IRSDC.
Some of the proposed facilities at the Rail Arcade include Food and Beverage (F&B), Passenger Convenience store, Gifts, Books and Magazine, Handloom and Artefacts, Consumer goods kiosks, including FMCG and pharmaceutical.
The concessionaire will be mandated to take over the identified space and undertake the remodelling of the entire area for the development of commercial, leisure and entertainment space at the station, develop the 'Rail Arcade' consisting of food, refreshment and retail product outlets and manage, operate and maintain it, among others.
IRSDC is also driving the agenda of station redevelopment envisioned by the Government of India, with the participation of private players as a part of PPP projects. As part of this agenda, work on the redevelopment of 125 stations is in progress.
Out of this, IRSDC is working on 63 stations, and RLDA is working on 60 stations and two remaining stations by Railways itself.
As per current estimates, the total investment needed for the redevelopment of 125 stations along with real estate development is about Rs 50,000 crore.