JOIN USGet a glimpse of Amazon River at Bengaluru's KSR railway station
Passengers waiting for trains at Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station here can visit the 12-feet long tunnel tunnel aquarium and a paludarium built on the Amazon River concept by paying a fee of Rs 25.
THe Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) Limited has built the aquarium in collaboration with HNi at a cost of Rs 1.2 crore with the aim of enhancing the passenger experience at the station.
Passengers who enter the Aquatic Kingdom can see alligator gar bigger than 2.5 feet, 3 ft long stingrays, eels of 3.5 feet, sharks, lobsters, snails as well as shrimps. The 6-feet long and 3-feet wide paludarium showcases the terrestrial and aquatic life of the Amazon.
S K Lohia, Managing Director and CEO of IRSDC, said the Aquatic Kingdom can accommodate 25 visitors at once while following Covid rules. "Even the waiting time will become a pleasurable experience. It is our endeavour to transform Indian Railways by redeveloping the stations at par with airports," he said.
N Raghuraman, a consultant with IRSDC said the facility was built mainly to provide memorable experience to the passengers. At the same time, the Kingdom generates revenue for the corporation. The company provides a licence fee of Rs 24 lakh every year.
Apart from KSR Bengaluru, the corporation has been entrusted with the mandate to undertake facility management at four other stations: Pune, Anand Vihar, Chandigarh and Secunderabad.
The corporation is a joint venture of three companies and has been appointed as nodal agency to fast track the redevelopment of railway stations and harness the commercial value of the space.