Gujarat: Gandhinagar Railway Station to get grand 450-room hotel

Gujarat: Gandhinagar Railway Station to get grand 450-room hotel

The railways are all set to develop a grand 450-room hotel in Gandhinagar Railway Station that will be on similar lines or even bigger than Delhi's iconic Maurya Sheraton and Taj Palace luxury hotels.

With the Centre's big push for redevelopment of railway stations to generate revenue, Indian Railways has taken the first step in the direction in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat. The railways are all set to develop a grand 450-room hotel in Gandhinagar Railway Station that will be on similar lines or even bigger than Delhi's iconic Maurya Sheraton and Taj Palace luxury hotels.

Railway officials said the proposed hotel at the railway station would be the first of its kind in India and abroad. The idea is to tap railways' resources to generate maximum revenue. The Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC), a joint venture of IRCON and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), has been assigned the task of developing two world class railway stations in Gujarat. The other station is Surat, where railways will be developing a multi-modal transportation hub.

The IRSDC will be inviting global players to develop the hotel at Gandhinagar Station. Senior officials said a pre-bid conference was held last month while another conference will be held on April 11, following which the bidding process will formally start. "So far several private players have expressed keen interest in the project. It will be a 400-450 room hotel that will essentially cater to the large number of visitors coming to Mahatma Mandir and Helipad Exhibition Centre, the two convention centres in Gandhinagar," said SK Lohia, Chief Executive Officer, IRSDC.

Sources in the Railway Ministry said significance of the project can be gauged from the fact that the development is being monitored by the Prime Minister's Office. Fortnightly meetings are being held at the Chief Secretary level in Gujarat to keep the project on fast track, they said. The last date for submission of Expression of Interest (EoI) is April 22. "The status of the project was also assessed by the Chief Secretary of Gujarat. The draft MoU is under approval of the authority," officials said.