Hyderabad: Nampally to be given Rs 309 crore facelift

Hyderabad: The Nampally railway station, which is one of the oldest railway stations in Telangana, is all set to get a new look under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. South Central Railway officials have prepared a master plan to bring an aesthetic look to the railway station. Known as the Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station, Nampally station was built in 1907 by Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, the last Nizam of Hyderabad. The station was called Nam-pally because it was built in a moist and wet area in those days. Nam in Urdu means wet and moist, and pally means a place. The Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station or Nampally Station was used mostly as goods siding till 1921 before the first passenger train chugged into the station. Briefing about the blueprint of the works to be taken up at the Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station, a senior officer of SCR said: “Daily, around 28,230 passengers travel from here and once the station gets facelift, the capacity of handling passengers per day would be around 48,601 and during peak hours the capacity will be around 4,800. The station has six platforms. Though there is no lift facility at the station, there are three escalators.” After renovation, the station will have 15 lifts and 10 escalators. The present 328 sqm waiting area at the station would be expanded to 1,624,37 sqm, he added. Apart from this, there will be ample space for parking. At present, around 300 two-wheelers and 70 four-wheelers can be parked. Once the station gets a new look, around 900 two-wheelers and 210 four-wheelers can be parked. At present, the station does not have any basement but it is now proposed to create a basement of 9942.8 sqm. The development of the Nampally station will be taken up at a cost of Rs 309 crore. To ensure smooth access to the railway station, all unwanted structures will be removed and better and bright lighting would be provided. It will also Divyangan-friendly, the official said. Green energy would be used to make it environment friendly. All works would be completed by the end of 2025, he added. SCR General Manager Arun Kumar Jain said the Amrit Bharat Stations being taken up across the zone will provide a new experience to the rail users. These stations being developed with modern architecture and world-class facilities will serve as city centres with a focus on long-term planning. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be laying the foundation stone on August 6 for the development of 508 railway stations across the country under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme which includes 50 railway stations spread across 4 states of South Central Railway and one among them is Nampally.