Modi inaugurates railway station in Bhopal, says ‘it ends VIP culture, heralds EPI model’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the refurbished Habibgang Railway Station in Bhopal, now known as the Rani Kamalapati Railway Station and said that the changes are symbolic of the beginning of transformation from the VIP culture to the “EPI” (Every Person is Important) model.

Accusing the previous governments of being sluggish on implementing railway projects, Modi said the work for freight corridors in the east and the west were expedited only in the last six-seven years.

The Rani Kamalapati railway station, recently named after the queen of Bhopal’s Gond kingdom, has the first central concourse with connectivity to all platforms with modern world-class facilities.

Modi also said that more Ramayana Circuit (pilgrimage destinations related to Lord Ram) express trains will be launched across the country to promote religious tourism. The Railways is also taking initiatives to start 75 Vande Bharat trains in the next two years.

He said while earlier people used to associate train journeys with filth, delays and safety concerns, the government initiatives over the last few years have alleviated such fears and concerns among people.

The prime minister said the not only the historic railway station in Bhopal been, “but its importance has also increased with the addition of the name of Kamalapati ji, the queen of Ginnaurgarh.” “The pride of Indian Railways has also been added to the pride of Gondwana,” he said.

Indian Railways’ first central concourse linked to all platforms has been built at the Rani Kamalapati station, where hundreds of people can sit together and wait for trains.

“There will be no need for the passengers to run unnecessarily. The station has modern facilities like an airport with a gaming zone, hospital, mall, smart parking, food zone etc,” he said.

The prime minister said such facilities were expected by taxpayers and the middle class.
“This is the model of transforming from VIP to EPI, which means every person is important,” he said, adding that 175 railway stations in the country are being revamped on similar lines.

“For the first time after so many decades of Independence, the potential of Indian Railways is being explored on such large scale as it is not only a medium to connect distances, but it is also becoming an important medium to connect the country’s culture, tourism and pilgrimage,” the prime minister said.

He said railway tourism was limited to a premium club in the past, but for the first time, common people can now experience tourism and pilgrimage at affordable rates.

The prime minister said that work on the eastern and western-dedicated freight corridors, which have the potential of changing the transportation scenario of the country, is an example of the delay by previous governments, as work was not carried out for years.

“(On the contrary) over 1,100 km of these corridors have been completed during the past six to seven years and work on the remaining part is going on at a fast pace,” Modi said, adding that in the past seven years, about 2,500 km of railway tracks have been commissioned every year, the average of which was 1,500 km in the previous years.

The speed of electrification has increased by five times in these years compared to the previous years, Modi added.

He said the work of the 1,125 km railway track has been completed of the 35 projects in Madhya Pradesh.

Farmers have got a new market due to rail connectivity, he said, adding that the people are liking the vista dome trains as well.

The Rani Kamalapati railway station is equipped with an air-concourse and subways, modern air-conditioned male and female waiting lounges, air-conditioned retiring rooms and a dormitory. The station has the capacity for parking 300 four-wheelers, 850 two-wheelers. It is equipped with lifts, elevators, travelators and ramps. There are also provisions of Wifi, CCTVs, and modern passenger information and entertainment system.

This railway station has been designed as a green building with modern world-class amenities that also takes into account the ease of mobility for the physically challenged. The station is revamped as a hub for integrated multi-modal transport, according to officials.

The officials said passengers will get direct connectivity of Bhopal metro from the Rani Kamalapati railway station through a skywalk.

(With inputs from agencies)