ISLAMABAD:Pakistan Railways has decided to upgrade and commercialise the Victoria-era Rawalpindi Railway Station built a century ago in a British style, to make it an economic hub, considering its location in the centre of business activities.

Minister for Railways, Communication and Maritime, Shahid Ashraf Tarar chaired a meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday to review the upgradation and commercialisation plan of Rawalpindi railway station, and observed that the railway stations will remain important commercial hub in the future, earning substantial revenue and generating economic opportunities at a large scale.

The value addition to Rawalpindi Railway Station and its surroundings would make it commercially viable and would generate significant revenues for all the stakeholders involved.

Besides improving passenger facilitation, the redeveloping of Rawalpindi railway station can become a business hub, he said.

According to the plan, 100 kanal space available adjacent to Jinnah Road (City Sadar Road) would be commercialised, besides uplifting the railway station.However, the Victorian-era building depicting ‘Indo-Saracenic’ architecture will remain intact.

The main purpose of the plan is to redevelop the Rawalpindi railway station as a business hub and multi-model network; expanding platforms and creating separate cargo platforms; bringing inside the retail space; service apartments and motels; connecting it to all transport services; ensuring energy and water efficiency; and commercially and financially viable interventions on the adjacent land.

The main building of Rawalpindi Railway Station consists of three sections: the freight section, the passenger section and the main offices.

The Railway Club building and police station are adjacent to the main building which has three separate entrances for regular passengers and baggage passengers.

It is proposed that the railway station building would have two floors-- platform and first floor.The first floor would house offices and food court.The second floor would have motel/hotel and service apartments.

Railway officials are confident that rail and transit was and will remain the future, and the proposed plan will reduce carbon emissions; greater mobility with increased energy efficiency; and long-term economic benefits.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2023