Indian Railways has announced plans to develop around 10 major stations of Metro Cities and important junctions through public - private partnership (PPP) mode.

This plans aims to make railways stations in India at par with global standards, including passengers' safety and new facilities.

Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) has been set up to undertake the station PPP projects.

The stations to be developed under PPP model will be based on adequacy of land, redevelopment cost, expected returns from real estate development, and capacity of infrastructure among others.

Such projects require detailed techno-economic feasibility studies and statutory clearances from local authorities. Though Indian Railways have been making sustained efforts towards expediting various issues, no targets can be indicated.

According to sources, the focus could be on stations like Kurla, Borivli, Dadar and Thane (all in Mumbai), where the volume of services and crowd is significant. These stations were designed 50-60 years ago.