Habibganj railway station, officially Rani Kamalapati railway station (station code: RKMP), is a ISO certified railway station in Bhopal, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It lies on the New Delhi–Chennai main line of the Indian Railways. It comes under West Central Railway zone (WCR) of the Indian Railways and serves as headquarters of Bhopal railway division of WCR. It serves as a secondary station to Bhopal Junction railway station (the main station in Bhopal). It is India's first private railway station.

History

The Bhopal–Itarsi section of New Delhi–Chennai main line was opened in 1884. In 1920s, the Habibganj railway station was opened on the above section. It served the village of Habibganj, then located outside Bhopal. In 1969, the Madhya Pradesh Government redeveloped it as a second railway station in the city to decongest Bhopal railway station. The family of Prince Habibullah Khan gave land and Rs 15 lakh to develop the station. Hence, it came to be known as Habibganj after Habibullah Khan himself. The Ministry of Railways privatised the railway station in June 2017, making it India's first private railway station. In November 2021, the Madhya Pradesh Government changed its name to Rani Kamalapati railway station in the memory of Gond queen Rani Kamlapati. The railway station was redeveloped again and was opened in November 2021. The station code was also changed from HBJ to RKMP.

Infrastructure

The station has 5 platforms with 6 tracks. The railway station was redeveloped on the lines of Germany’s Heidelberg railway station and is promoted as India’s first world-class station. The station now has various facilities like large covered parking area, 24X7 power backup, drinking water, air-conditioned lobby, offices, shops, high speed escalator, lift, anchor stores, automobile showrooms, a convention centre, a hotel and a super speciality hospital. The redeveloped railway station has received GEM 5 star rating in GEM Sustainability Certification by ASSOCHAM for Green, sustainable design and eco-friendly project. The station has planned an extensive reuse of water with Zero discharge technology being utilised for sewage treatment systems. A provision of rainwater harvesting is also present at the station. To ensure clean energy, solar energy generation is implemented in the station. Around 6800 and 7300 square metres are identified for soft and hard landscaping respectively.

Services

The station is located 7 km away from Bhopal Junction. It lies on the New Delhi–Chennai main line of the Indian Railways. It serves as a secondary station to Bhopal Junction railway station.