If stations for the metro rail in urban India can don rooftop solar installations to provide them green energy, why not railway stations in small towns and district headquarters that cater to long distance trains?

After all, these stations where trains chug in after travelling hundreds of miles at all times of the day and night are even more vulnerable and in need of environment-friendly infrastructure to service thousands of people who visit them.

Apart from a sound building that serves as a waiting area, these stations across the length and breath of the country administered by the Indian Railways need to be equipped with adequate and safe supplies of food, power and water at free or minimum cost and with the least damage to the environment.

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) of the Confederation of Indian Industry based in Hyderabad has been working with various agencies to make this a reality.

In partnership with the Centre's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Indian Railways, it is working on the blueprint of a rating system for the Railway stations where the focus will be on ensuring that they achieve high levels of energy and water efficiency. Since the stations are public places where water usage is difficult to regulate, the guiding principle is to reduce wastage and recycle the entire water for use in greenery. Apart from rainwater harvesting, it is proposed that all stations could have rooftop solar PV installations to meet part of the power requirement and also have additional installations if there is open space available as is the case in rural areas.

“A number of these initiatives are now at an advanced stage of discussion and over the next four to six months likely to crystallise,” says S Raghupathy, Executive Director, IGBC.

As a reference point, the IGBC already has in place the Green Mass Rapid Transit Rating System for metro rail projects that gives its verdict for already operating projects and upcoming ventures. “We at The Council worked with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to evolve the norms. The Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad metros and several others are all working towards conforming to these norms,” says Raghupathy.

As in the case of Delhi Metro, all the new stations will seek to have their own solar photo-voltaic power support, energy efficient lighting, superior water management, among other things. There is hope that other parts of the country will be able to replicate parts of this model.

So that the next stop is at a green railway station!

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