Anand Vihar Namo Bharat Railway Station to have pod hotel
New Delhi, Jan 21 (BVI) Anand Vihar station on the Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Rail Corridor will have a Pod hotel designed to meet the needs of new-age commuters by offering short-stay, safe and affordable accommodation at the location which is a major inter-change junction for various types of railway networks.
A pod hotel, comprising compact sleeping units with hotel privacy for short stays, is also known as a ‘Capsule hotel’ having facilities like Wi-Fi, charging ports, and sometimes bunk-style designs.
The Pod hotel, proposed at Anand Vihar station on the border with Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, is proposed to have the capacity of 30 beds, along with a fine dining restaurant and other commuter-oriented commercial facilities.
The pod hotel at the high-footfall interchange station of Anand Vihar is expected to provide a much-needed resting option for commuters who are travelling longer distances and have a short layover.
For instance, a traveller arriving from Meerut on the Namo Bharat train and scheduled to catch a long-distance train from Anand Vihar Railway Station can take a brief rest at the station instead of venturing out to find a hotel.
This not only saves time but also offers a convenient and economical alternative, especially for commuters with limited layover periods.
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), the nodal department mandated to implement the Namo Bharat project across Delhi and adjoining areas, has awarded work for licensing of Property Development (PD) Floors at Anand Vihar Namo Bharat Station.
NCRTC is a joint venture company of Government of India and States of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and is mandated to implement the Namo Bharat project, ensuring a balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and access across the NCR.
Under the project, a tentative area of more than 4,000 square metres has been licensed.
This area is distributed across four locations across different levels of the station, enabling seamless integration of hospitality and commercial facilities within commuter movement zones.
In addition to the pod hotel, the development includes a fine dining restaurant, along with other proposed commercial uses such as food and beverage (F&B) retail outlets, office spaces, apparel stores and similar facilities, aimed at improving overall commuter experience.
Anand Vihar Namo Bharat Station is among the busiest multimodal transit hubs in the NCR, owing to its direct connectivity with a Delhi Metro station serving the Pink and Blue Metro lines, the Anand Vihar Railway Station, and two Inter-State Bus Terminals (ISBTs), one on the Delhi side and the other at Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh.
The Indian Railways station at Anand Vihar is a key gateway for commuters travelling to eastern India, resulting in very high daily commuter movement. Facilities such as pod hotels are expected to benefit commuters navigating long journeys and multiple transfers.
This initiative forms part of NCRTC’s broader plan to monetise the commercial potential of the Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor, thereby augmenting non-fare box revenue (NFBR).
The Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor spans approximately 82 km across Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut, passing through densely populated urban centres.
A strong emphasis has been placed on multimodal integration, with stations such as Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan enabling seamless transfers between Namo Bharat, Metro, Railways, ISBTs and city bus services.
Since the commencement of operations, the Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor has witnessed steady ridership growth, with over 2 crore commuter trips completed to date.
Currently, 55 km of the corridor with 11 stations is operational, while the remaining sections—including Sarai Kale Khan–New Ashok Nagar and Meerut South–Modipuram, will be commissioned soon.
The corridor presently records an average daily ridership of 55,000–60,000, which is expected to rise substantially after full commissioning. (BVI)
