Lok Sabha Question No. 1920 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Indo-French Railways
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Vinayak Bhaurao Raut, Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam, Ajay (Teni) Misra, Pushpendra Singh Chandel, Shrirang Appa Barne

- (a)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.1920 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.07.2019

## INDO-FRENCH RAILWAYS

1920. DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

SHRI VINAYAK RAUT:

SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

SHRI AJAY MISRA TENI:

SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL:

SHRI SRIRANGA APPA BARNE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether India and France have signed an agreement under which the French Railways would help to develop Indian Railway Stations;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether French Development Agency has agreed to provide grant to the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) to support the railway station development programme in India;
- (d)  if  so,  the  amount  of  grant  agreed  to  by  the  French  Development Agency;
- (e) whether IRSDC has been tasked to transform many railway stations into airport like hubs of world-class standard; and
- (f)  if  so,  the  stations  that  have  been  identified  under  the  station redevelopment plan where the work is being carried out, including the State of Gujarat ?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- to (f): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (f)  OF  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1920 BY DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE, SHRI VINAYAK RAUT, SHRIMATI  POONAMBEN  MAADAM,  SHRI  AJAY  MISRA  TENI,  SHRI  KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA  SINGH  CHANDEL  AND  SHRI  SRIRANGA  APPA  BARNE  TO  BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 03.07.2019 REGARDING INDO-FRENCH RAILWAYS (a)to(d): No, Sir. However, Indian Railway Station Development Corporation Ltd.  (IRSDC)  has  entered  into  a  Three-Party  FEXTE  (Fund  for  Technical Expertise  and  Experience  Transfer)  Partnership  Agreement  executed  on 10th  June  2019  with  The  Agence  Francaise  De  Development  (AFD)  (the French Development Agency) and SNCF-Hubs and Connexions (Technical Partner).    AFD  have  agreed  to  provide  Seven  lakhs  Euro  in  kind  through SNCF-Hubs and connexions as technical partner for training and capacity building etc. of IRSDC team.  In addition, SNCF-Hubs and Connexions are to  provide  advisory  services  to  IRSDC  for  design,  developing,  managing, structuring  and  implementing  Railway  station  development  projects  in Pune and Bangalore.  They have also agreed to provide global case studies for  best  practices  and  discuss  success  and  failure  studies  on  station development. (e) & (f): Yes, Sir. IRSDC is undertaking techno-economic feasibility studies of  several  railway  stations.    Based  on  the  outcome  of  these  feasibility studies, stations are planned to be taken up by IRSDC for redevelopment in phases, especially the stations located in major cities, pilgrimage centres and  important  tourist  destinations.    The  cost  of  station  redevelopment project is to be met by leveraging commercial development of land and air space in and around the stations.  Presently, work of redevelopment is in progress at Gandhinagar(Gujarat) and Habibganj(Bhopal) stations. Contracts for redevelopment have been awarded for Gomtinagar, Charbagh(Lucknow) and Puducherry stations.

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