Varanasi: On the occasion of Holi, Ballia railway station became first station in north India to have a premium multibrand apparel store on its premises. The move, initiated by NER’s DRM (Varanasi) Ashish Jain and divisional commercial manager Sheikh Rahman, brought this station into the club comprising Guntakal, Secunderabad, Bengaluru and Mysuru divisions’ railway stations, said Ashok Kumar, the division’s spokesperson, adding that it was a step towards modernisation of railway stations by providing better facilities at the stations under NER.The initiative was undertaken under policy issued by Railway Board on Aug 11, 2025, in view of which, Jain and Rahman finalised action plan to open a premium branded apparel store at a railway station in the division. To increase non-fare revenue and sales of non-catering items, Rahman and his team carried out extensive market surveys. During the survey, Ballia station was selected after seeking passengers’ opinions regarding need for a multi-brand clothing store.An underutilised section of an old waiting hall located on the station premises was identified for the store and the vendor was selected through e-auction. Under a public-private-partnership scheme, the company that got the opportunity to open the store will pay Rs 4.4 lakh per annum to the railways. Entire construction of the store was completed by the licensee in 54 days.“Opening of the store is aimed at providing enhanced amenities to passengers, beautifying the station and developing the station as a city centre,” said officials.
