The Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) has issued a fresh tender for the much-awaited redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station, with a reduced scope of work and an estimated cost of Rs 4,700 crore.

The tender was discharged in May this year after bidders quoted a much higher price than the allotted cost. This is the fourth time the RLDA is announcing a tender for this project.

Scope of Work

The redevelopment work will now be undertaken in the 3.5 lakh sq m area, as opposed to the previously planned 4.5 lakh sq m. The decision was made to simplify the process and ensure a successful bidding process.

Indian infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) was the lowest bidder in the previous tender, quoting Rs 8,740 crore, which exceeded the Indian Railways’ estimate of Rs 5,000 crore.

Only two firms, L&T and Shapoorji Pallonji, submitted bids for the project last time. The RLDA has reduced the scope of the commercial development plan for now, with plans to undertake it later.

Project Execution

The project will be executed under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract model, instead of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The RLDA has consulted over a dozen central and state departments and obtained no objection certificates for the project.

The redevelopment project is part of the government’s plan to modernize high-density stations, improve passenger movement, and enhance business prospects. It involves replacing the existing structure with a twin dome-shaped facade, creating an iconic structure representing the capital city of India.

Tags: Indian Railways, RLDA, New Delhi Station Redevelopment