The Ministry of Railways has dissolved the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) and handed over the developmental works of Chandigarh railway station development project to the Ambala division.
The orders were issued in principle by the Centre on 19 October 2021. A special purpose vehicle of IRSDC was constituted in 2012 after which it took over the railway station in 2019, but since then nothing was done.
Now all of it has to be redesigned and re-planned once the Ambala division takes over the tasks. The development of the station has been handed over to the Ambala division. It will chalk out the plans to construct Chandigarh station as a world-class one.
In 2020, the work was delayed owing to the pandemic. Recently, the IRSDC SPV had invited request for proposal for leasing four vacant land parcels for mixed-use development as part of the redevelopment project. Accordingly, bids have been invited from interested entities on lease rights basis up to 99 years.
IRSDC had taken over the Chandigarh railway station by the end of February 2019. It was to manage passenger amenities and other infrastructures.
In Phase-I, IRSDC was to make improvement in passenger amenities like giving better platforms, waiting rooms, washrooms, eating and food stalls, drinking water facilities, keeping coaches clean and adequate parking facilities with latest technologies.
In the next stage the construction part of the station was to be taken up in which state-of-the-art lounges, restaurants and buildings were to be constructed.