In July 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a slew of projects in Gujarat. But among those, one held a special place in his heart — inaugurating a revamped Vadnagar railway station. The Prime Minister, as a kid, used to sell tea here.

Also read: Airport-like facilities, 5-star hotel at Gandhinagar railway station

As the Prime Minister celebrates his 71st birthday on September 17, 2021, let’s take a quick tour of the history of the Vadnagar railway station.

Vadnagar in Gujarat’s Mehsana district is Modi’s hometown. PM Modi’s father Damodardas Modi had a tea stall inside the railway station. During his younger days, the PM used to help his father sell tea at the station. Earlier in 2019, the state tourism minister had announced that the stall would be developed as a tourism spot.

As Vadnagar town falls in the “heritage circuit”, the new railway station building has been given a heritage look, Western Railway‘s Divisional Railway Manager Dipak Kumar Jha had said.

Also read: Narendra Modi’s journey from Vadnagar to New Delhi

“The Vadnagar railway station is one of the major stations which falls on that route. Since it is also part of the heritage circuit, the Ministry of Tourism spent Rs 8.5 crore to give a heritage look to the existing station building and its entry gate,” Jha had told reporters.

Apart from this station, PM Modi inaugurated a host of other projects, including a five-star hotel atop the redeveloped Gandhinagar railway station.

The Railway Ministry shared pictures on its official Twitter handle both the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of the station that has been redeveloped at the cost of Rs 71.59 crore. The luxury hotel, spread over 7,400 square meters will have 318 rooms and will be operated by a private entity. The hotel has been built at a cost of Rs 790 crore.

Also Read | Rajkot MLA to PM of India: A Gujarat leader shares Modi’s political journey

The Gandhinagar railway station will have facilities at par with modern airports. The station has a segregated Entry and Exit surrounded by landscaped areas. Apart from an interfaith prayer hall, it boasts of an art gallery with LED wall display lounge, baby feeding room, centralized AC waiting hall and spacious ticketing facilities. Special Care has been taken to make it a Divyang friendly station by providing it with a special ticket booking counter, ramps, lifts, dedicated parking space etc, a release said.