Close to 40 railway stations in Jharkhand has been identified for upgrade in infrastructure and passenger amenities under ‘Amrit Bharat Station’ scheme.

The commercially viable stations under Ranchi railway division of the South Eastern Railways (SER) include Lohardaga, Muri, Jhalida (Purulia in West Bengal), Namkom, R Ramgarh Cantonment, Suisa, Silli, Gangaghat, Tantisilwai, Bano, Piska, Tulin, Orga, Govindpur Road and Balsring railway stations. Similarly, the Dhanbad railway division of the East Central Railways (ECR) has identified Garhwa Road, Daltonganj, Koderma, Gomoh, Latehar, Parasnath, Paharpur, Hazaribag Road, Katrasgarh, Choupan, Renukut, Nagar Untari, Garhwa Town, Barkakana and Chandrapura railway stations.

Of the 15 stations identified by the Chakradharpur railway division of the SER, eight are in Jharkhand. Rairangpur railway station in Odisha under Chakradharpur division has also been selected for the overhaul.

The budgetary allocation for infrastructure development is Rs 7-8 crore per station. However, for redevelopment of bigger stations including Tatanagar, Hatia, Ranchi and Dhanbad, investment of above Rs 300 crore will be incurred.

The master plan includes components such as roof top plaza, cost-efficient facade development and soothing porches, constructing elevated platforms, building waiting halls, cafeterias, executive lounges and providing amenities like Wi-Fi connectivity.

The redevelopment project of Ranchi railway station worth Rs 447 crore is at the detailed project report (DPR) stage.

The redevelopment of Hatia railway station to be undertaken by Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA) will include constructing two platforms, commissioning cafeterias, escalators, separate parcel handling systems, a new entrance and the development  of existing facade.