New Delhi, April 13. (PTI): The Indian Railways has invited fresh bids from technical consultants for modernisation of 16 of its stations, including the one at New Delhi.

All these stations are proposed to be made world class stations with all the standard facilities.

The Railways has cancelled its first station modernisation bidding process wherein it had qualified about seven companies based on technical evaluation, Railway Ministry sources said.

Earlier, the Railways had invited expressions of interests from consultants to advise it on the detailed design parameters and technical and legal aspects of the process to be adopted for modernising the New Delhi Railway Station.

Railways has already technically qualified seven firms for providing advisory services that include the Italy-based Grandi Stazioni SpA vIA, Chinese firm East China Architecture and Design Institute and the UK headquartered Mott Mac Donald.

Asked what changes were being contemplated at New Delhi Railway Station, considered the pilot project among the 16 stations selected for upgradation at world class, V N Mathur, soon after taking the charge as Member (Traffic), Railway Board, said Railways have selected a single Consultant now to advise on architecture and layouts of the station.

Mathur, who is also the General Manager of Northern Railway said the entire set up of the station, including its waiting rooms, foot-steps at platform were being transformed.

However, sources said that Planning Commission has recently asked the Railways to define broad parameters only and let developers design the stations, as was done in the airport modernisation plan.

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