REDEVELOPMENT OF NEW DELHI RAILWAY STATION AS A MULTI MODEL TRANSIT HUB

Abstract

Railway Industry has been a trusted service provider in India for more than a century and has played a pivotal role in connecting masses across India, helping it compete in the global market as a strong contender as well. Even today, rail prevails as the most economic and feasible method for transport across cities. Unfortunately, with the development of cities and urban areas, stations have not been developed alongside with the initiative of future or sustainability in mind and they are still viewed as filthy and crowded areas as a place to just board trains. Railway stations are an untapped resource in the Indian economy which can not only help in generating revenue, but also act as catalysts for the development of areas around them. This thesis aims at redeveloping the existing New Delhi Railway Station into a modern station, integrating all the transport systems in the area using a place-node model of development. In doing so, it focuses on creating a threshold, which acts as the Eastern gateway into the city and as a third place which is formed from the merging of transit and the city. This thesis also aims to explore a new typology of stations, with the insertion of office and retail functions in the station district, and on how to develop this assemblage of areas with minimal impact on the environment while being able to generate a dialogue with the city that surrounds it. The project conceives a station that is not just remembered as platforms, but as a centre, a space for activities and or just lingering. A station that connects the city instead of breaking it into two halves.