Trains and the economy – case of New Delhi railway station

India has one of the largest rail networks in the world measuring more than 64,000 kilometres. According to the land and amenities directorate of Indian railways the total land holding under railways is 4,318 square kilometres, second only to the defence land holdings. Railway in India is a state monopoly and like most state run enterprises is highly inefficient and sluggish. A case in point is stations in Delhi. New Delhi railway station was commissioned in 1926 with a single track and a single platform. Then outside the old city and away from the newly built Lutyens’ Delhi it finds itself today amidst one of the most congested areas of the city. The station itself is a chaos. Depending on which source you look up there are anywhere between 360,000 to 500,000 passengers using the facility every single day (or 131.4 – 182.5 million a year). A total of 16 platforms handle around 300 trains a day.

Free boarding 

Access to the station is a nightmare and platforms are crowded throughout the day with scarce seating. Retail offer is substandard and vendors have arbitrary pricing. Festive seasons see a sudden spurt in passenger numbers. In the past years there have been incidents of stampede leading to death and injury during festive seasons. Poor visibility conditions in northern India during winters spell disaster for the limited infrastructure of the station. Many trains are cancelled or delayed leading to passenger build up on platforms.  Congested waiting rooms do not help to ease the situation either. A lot needs to be done to improve passenger convenience. Another aspect that makes the New Delhi railway station interesting is its location and 860,000 square metres it occupies in the central business district area. Redevelopment of the station will not only provide better passenger amenities but also give a boost to local real estate market which is struggling with shortage of space.

The huge volumes handled by the train station require specialist planning and operating procedures to manage the passenger flow. Being a terminus it is unlike other stations where trains arrive and depart after a short halt. The passengers arrive well in advance of their departure time and wait on the platforms with other passengers. At a given time there might be passengers waiting for four different trains scheduled to depart from the same platform within a few hours. This creates chaos and unwanted congestion. Arriving passengers on the same platform then add to the problem and passenger flow is seriously hampered and passenger safety undermined. Provisions should be made to segregate arriving and departing passengers like at airports. This will create more space for passenger flow and improve safety standards.

A multi level station complex with separate arriving and departing areas will double the passenger processing space. Separate waiting areas with retail offers will generate more revenue and improve passenger services. Standard operating procedures spelling out step wise details of passenger processing from the moment passengers enter the station building till they depart will harmonise passenger handling. Adequate holding areas will also act as buffer to handle delays. The flow might work in a way that passengers arrive at the departure level and are segregated depending on their departure time. Passengers arriving close to their departure time will be sent to gate areas linked to their platform and early arrivals will be directed to a common waiting lounge. Security checks can be done in the gates area prior to final departure. Similarly arriving passengers will be processed at arrivals level and will leave the station building according to the arrival procedures. A separate procedure for trains with short halts will have to be put in place. This can be in form of dedicated platforms with separate access points.

Bringing in operational efficiency is definitely a priority, but harnessing the business potential of the location should also be part of the plan. In a small scale it has already started happening with Delhi Metro. Many metro stations now have multi story business centres and shopping malls. High passenger volumes and proximity to the central business district will make the New Delhi station area very attractive. The huge land area available can be used for office complexes, mid range and budget hotels, shopping areas, restaurant, employee welfare, and so on. Redevelopment of the station complex will have a significant contribution in the local economy in the long run. The railways too will benefit from efficient operations and can ensure a safe journey to passengers.