Indian Railways Adopts Form-Based Codes For Station Redevelopment Project

As part of Indian Railways' project of redeveloping stations across the national transporter's network in the country, the nodal agency has developed a first-of-its-kind 'form-based codes' for the commercial development of railway land. The Indian Railways Station Development Corporation or IRSDC, responsible for executing the station redevelopment project, has adopted the form-based codes approach, as per the guidebook issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. (Also Read: Bids Open For New Delhi Station Redevelopment: Adani, GMR, Others In Fray )

According to a statement shared by the organisation, the move is aimed at revamping railway land or railway station areas into Railopolis, based on the principles of transit-oriented development or TOD. Once redeveloped, the stations will offer world-class, state-of-the-art amenities to passengers. A Railopolis is a mini smart city with mixed-use development where people can reside, work, and play. These areas attract huge investment and various business opportunities.

In order to expedite the station redevelopment project, improve ease-of-doing-business, and streamline the process, the organisation has developed handbooks and codes. The form-based codes approach is simply a comprehensive set of codes, norms, and guidelines prepared by the nodal organisation to plan station redevelopment and regulating commercial development of railway land.

The organisation stated that the testing of the draft codes is being done at the ongoing station redevelopment projects at Nagpur, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Gwalior, Bijwasan, Anand Vihar, etc. According to Indian Railways Station Development Corporation, the codes or handbook/guidebook are compiled in six parts, which are as follows:

• Handbook for station planning
• Guidebook for operationalizing national transit-oriented development policy for railway and station redevelopment
• Form-based codes for commercial development of railway land
• Codes for architectural design of commercial assets
• Green building codes for commercial development on railway land
• Codes for railway heritage asset