Vijayawada Railway Station has earned the distinction of being awarded the highest “Platinum Rating” Certification as Green Railway Station by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The rating takes Vijayawada Railway Station to the highest standard of Platinum Rating for Green Railway Stations. Earlier, Vijayawada Railway Station was holding the Gold Rating from IGBC – CII and has now moved up the ladder to attain the highest norm of Platinum Certification.
The IGBC, with the support of Environment Directorate of Indian Railways has developed the Green Railway Stations Rating system to facilitate adoption of Green Concepts, thereby reducing the adverse environmental impacts due to station operation & maintenance and enhance the overall commuter experience. The rating system helps to address National priorities like water conservation, handling of waste, energy efficiency, reduced used of fossil fuel, lesser dependency on usage of virgin materials and health & well being of occupants. The six modules involved in the task are – sustainable station facility; health; hygiene and sanitation; energy efficiency; water efficiency; smart and green initiative; innovation & development. Vijayawada Railway Station was evaluated on these norms and has now been awarded the Platinum Rating.
Features of Vijayawada Station that led to Platinum Green Rating:-
1.Effective implementation of passenger amenities like firmly fixed seating facility, Booking office with seating & lighting, Waiting Halls, Retiring rooms, Cloak room, Lifts & Escalators, snack kiosks & drinking water points at concourse & platforms. Water fixtures (Taps, showers, flush tanks and urinal flushers) are installed with low water flow rate prescribed as per uniform plumbing code. This helps in the conservation of water. The station has 22 retiring rooms and 24 AC & 50 Non AC dormitories, 5 Lifts & 6 Escalators, 3 FOBs, Snack Kiosk & Drinking Water points are available at station for passengers. Pay & Use toilets on all platforms separately for men and women are available. Complaint and feedback mechanism which include Web based complaint, SMS based complaint, IVRS feedback system and MIS report.
2.Health & Hygeine standards like Safe Drinking water, No smoking and Tobacco smoke control, Fresh air ventilation, solid waste management plan, plastic free environment, day lighting, station house keeping, supply of linen etc.
3.Energy efficient measures like five star rating electrical equipments, LED fixtures, BLDC fans, day light sensors, energy monitoring, solar water heaters etc.
4.Water conservation measures like efficient fixtures to control water flow, high pressure jet systems in coach washing to reduce consumption of water, waste water treatment, waste water reuse, water monitoring etc.
5.Smart & Green Initiatives like Wi-Fi facility, Smart Card ticketing, Tourist information and booking centre, Automatic Ticket Vending Machine, Food court, Pharmacy, CCTV surveillance and Touch screen information kiosk etc.
6.Innovative measures like CAMTECH design coach watering, high rated passenger amenities like Lifts & Escalators, Foot-Over-Bridges, Trolley based system for luggage assistants, Pickup and drop- off points for vehicles, snack kiosks & drinking water points at concourse & platforms, child help desk, medical facilities etc.
Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, South Central Railway congratulated Vijayawada Division Officials on achieving the highest Green certification from IGBC for Vijayawada Station. He expressed his happiness knowing the measures being adopted and implemented at Station towards Green inititaives. He said that this type of certifcations boosts the morale and confidence of the employees to strive hard further. 
