Gandhinagar, the hub for all key international exhibitions in the state of Gujarat will soon have a state-of-the-art railway station to materialise the vision of Prime Minister Shri narendra Modi regarding redevelopment of railway stations.

In the spirit of true co-operative federalism the Gandhinagar railway station is being developed through formation of SPV between Government of Gujarat(GoG) and IRSDC on behalf of Ministry of Railways(MoR) with equity participation in the ration of 74:26 respectively. The Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Vijay Rupani accorded sanction for the formation of a special purpose vehicle and Registrar of the Companies has approved the proposed name of the SPV as “GARUD” – Gandhinagar Railway & Urban Development Corporation Limited. Till the formation of SPV all the activities on behalf of SPV is being carried out by IRSDC(MoR) and GIDB(GoG) in close coordination and guidence of GoG/MoR.

The components of the project include re-development of Railway station, development of a 300 room hotel in the airspace above railway track along with its operations. The project include operation and management of iconic structures viz existing International Convention Centre(named ‘Mahatma Mandir’) and exhibition Centre(named ‘Helipad Exhibition Grounds’) to have an integrated management which are complementary to each other. These international convention & exhibition facilities, together spread over a built up area of 100,000 sq.mtr, are the biggest in the country – bigger than Hyderabad & Bangalore Convention Centres and have organised landmark events such as the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit. It is expected that this can bring in operational efficiency in the management of these world class facilities, significantly improve the capacity utilisation by holding International conventions & exhibitions, build an integrated approach that will give thrust to MICE tourism int he region and thus add to the vibrancy of the capital city of Gujarat.

The project shall change the landscape of the city of Gandhinagar making it more tourist ad business friendly. It shall pave the way for future infrastructural development in the city in the field of urban transport and thus boost the economy and generate employment options in the region.

The salient features of the project are as follows:

– Total project cost approximately Rs 250 crore
– Project completion duration – 1 year for station development + 1 year for hotel construction – only civil construction excluding Mechanical, Electrical and plumbing as well finishing items which will be done through a separate contract after finalizing the operator(we will strive to complete the project before next Vibrant – Gujarat 2019).
– Geometry of the complete project: 1. Axial alignment of station of hotel threats the Mahatma Mandir, Dandi Kutir and Legislative Assembly. 2. Hotel layout with glass facade and triquetra shape also refer to as the Trinity Knot symbolizes a lot of potent and powerful virtues like Love, Honour and protection – the philosophy, tradition and essence of India. Orientation provides grand view of the Swarnim Park.
– Total quantity of concrete in the project: approximately 50000 cum
– Total quality of reinforcement in the project: approximately 7,200 MT
– Total quantity of structural steel: approximately 1,000 MT

Re-development of Railway Station

Segregation of arrival and departure of passengers:

– Station facilities area – 14265 sq.m(6589 sq.m. concourse above track + 7674 sq.m. for passenger amenities and Railway operation areas)
– 2 nos. of 4 m widex27 m highx110 m long subways connected by ramps for passenger evacuation.

Passenger Amenities:

– Seating arrangement at concourse – 604 seats
– Kiosks and shops
– Food stall
– Multi disciplinary shops with medicines etc.
– Book stall
– Wifi enabled
– Toilet blocks, etc.
– User friendly signages

Different abled friendly:

– Lifts – 3 nos.
– Escalators – 2 nos.

-First of its kind of space frame structure covering across railway track spanning 105mX100 m without intermediate support, and with end columnist match with the architecture of Mahatma Mandir. Roof will be of polycarbonate sheeting.

Parking facility:

– 100 cars
– 200 two wheelers and
– 100 auto rickshaws(approximately)
– Wide network of roads for smooth circulation
– Green building elements incorporated in the design and concept

B. Development of hotel building and commercial development

– First of its kind in India where the hotel development in on the air space above the railway track
– 300 rooms of 5-star category
– 3 towers of 6, 8 ad 10 storey, height of the building 65 meters above ground level
– Total built-up area of hotel – 21000 sq.m out of which approximately 2900 sq.m is for office use.

The master plan and concept plan of this development project had already been approved by the Western Railways.

GoG had appointed a High Power committee(HPC) to speed up the execution process, till the actual formalisation of the JVC. Accordingly as decided by the HPC, through Open Global tender on EPC mode contract has been awarded to M/S Kunal Structure(India) Put ltd, Rajkot, Gujarat on 3rd January 2017.

As per the schedule of works, the construction of station building would be over within one year and thereafter Hotel building would be competed within next one year.

Special feature of the project are:

– Fist 5 star rated hotel in India above the air space of running railway track
– Fist 105 m span space framed structure spanning across railway track
– With approximately 61 m, will be the tallest building in Gandhinagar

Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar has played host to some of the country’s biggest events like Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit; GoG has been successful in providing the required infrastructure for large-format exhibition, with this project the GoG hopes to meet the requirement of providing better connectivity and accommodation to all visitors.

DeshGujarat