The Union railway ministry has decided to improve the infrastructure of 16 railway stations located across north Bengal.

Officials of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said that all 56 stations of the railway zone would be refurbished under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. In all, around Rs 2,000 crore will be spent for the upgrade of these stations, they said.

“On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually launch the scheme. The tender process for the jobs to be carried out in these 56 stations has already been done. We expect work to start in a month. Once the work is done, passengers travelling through all these stations can avail of better amenities,” said Sabyasachi De, the NFR chief public relations officer.

Stations in north Bengal selected for infrastructural development are New Alipurduar, Hasimara, Falakata, Dalgaon and Kamakhyaguri (Alipurduar district), Jalpaiguri, Jalpaiguri Road, Dhupguri, Binnaguri and New Mal (Jalpaiguri district), Dinhata and Haldibari (Cooch Behar district), Kaliaganj, Dalkhola and Aluabari Road (North Dinajpur district) and Samsi (Malda district).

Railway officials also said that according to the redevelopment plan, the frontage of these stations will resemble the historical and traditional structures of each area.

“For example, in Alipurduar, the facade of a station may resemble the historical Buxa fort or the Bhutan gate. Local traditions and cultural heritage will be showcased in these stations,” said an official.

As regards infrastructure, the railways will carry out improvement work in the stations’ access, circulating area, waiting halls, booking offices and washrooms. Lifts and escalators will be installed in some stations, along with free Wi-Fi and kiosks to sell local produce.

“Guidance and information system for passengers will be upgraded. A comprehensive upgrade of station buildings will be done,” he added.

Along with the 16 stations in Bengal, 32 in Assam, three each in Tripura and Bihar, and one each in Nagaland and Meghalaya have been included in the scheme under the NFR.

Across India, there is a plan to develop infrastructure of 1,306 stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Modi will launch the scheme initially for 508 stations for which a sum of Rs 24,470 crore would be spent.