Indian Railways invited bids for the establishment and maintenance of a ''Rail Arcade'' at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) railway station of Bengaluru and the Chandigarh railway station for a period of nine years.

• The aim of the initiative is to offer world-class passenger-centric amenities and enhance the travel experience, according to a statement shared by the national transporter's statutory body Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC). 
• The rail arcade to be built at the stations is expected to be a mini-city centre offering food and beverage, entertainment, leisure, as well as retail facilities for passengers. 
• This is a part of the railway statutory body's overall mandate to undertake the complete facility management of five railway stations across the national transporter's network - including Bengaluru, Pune, Anand Vihar, Chandigarh, and Secunderabad.
• Rail Arcade will fuel commercial activities and will be a formidable step in transforming railway stations into a RAILOPOLIS- an integrated mini smart city to 'Work, Play and Ride','' 

Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. is a Special Purpose vehicle. IRSDC is a Joint Venture company of Rail Land Development Authority, RITES and Ircon International Limited. IRSDC was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 on 12 April 2012.

By: Brijesh Kumar