Production of Railwayscape in urban environment: Analysing railway heritage tourism potential in Siliguri City, India

doi:10.1016/j.regsus.2023.02.001

Abstract

Abstract:

For a long time, it has been argued that the theories and practices devoted to urban planning and management should conform to the fundamental role of planning policies in the production of urban space, but not merely the spatial distribution of the produced services. Towards this wider connotation, this study introduces the notion of Railwayscape, grounded on the theory of ‘The Production of Space’, to examine the role of railway station districts as catalysts of urban development through the social production of urban space. The present research sets out to establish the notion of Railwayscape and apply it in a railway heritage, i.e., the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) and its point of inception, Siliguri City, India. Accordingly, a criteria-based evaluation of four railway station districts (New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri Town, Siliguri Junction, and Sukna) in Siliguri and its surroundings was performed. The information regarding the selected four railway station districts is obtained through field observation and key informant consultation, supplemented by published literature and remote sensing data. This evaluation is succeeded by the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis accentuating the potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with the selected four railway station districts and their prospects to become the potential Railwayscape. The results of this research show that there is no railway station district in Siliguri that can fully meet the demands of the locals and tourists, therefore, relfecting a lack of awareness of the historical values of these districts. The results also indicate that there are significant differences in the relative potentials of railway station districts to become the Railwayscape in urban environment. The outcomes of this research, therefore, are expected to encourage policy-making insitutions and practitioners to realise the ‘place value’ of some railway station districts and their potentials to yield better economic, social and structural virtue for a wide range of actors.

Key words: Railwayscape, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), The Production of Space, Siliguri City, Railway heritage tourism potential

Iman BANERJEE. Production of Railwayscape in urban environment: Analysing railway heritage tourism potential in Siliguri City, India[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2023, 4(1): 1-12.

Figures/Tables 8

Table 1

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

Table 2

Description of criteria for the assessment of railway heritage tourism potential of selected railway station districts of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) in Siliguri and its surroundings."

Assessment criteria	Question number	Description
Heritage potential	1	New Jalpaiguri railway station is the present point of origin of the DHR, which is a railway system of great heritage value. The remaining three stations are also parts of the DHR network and therefore, have their associations with World Heritage Site recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
	2	As stated by the UNESCO, the DHR is still fully operational and retains most of its original features intact (UNESCO, 2009).
	3	Except for Sukna railway station, there is no pre-existing heritage conservation site in any of the selected railway station districts. There is a small but very insightful heritage photo gallery of the DHR in Sukna railway station.
Authenticity	4	DHR is one of the very few railway systems in the world that has continued to preserve most of its authentic characteristics (UNESCO, 2009; Roy and Hannam, 2013).
Tourism attraction	5	DHR gives opportunities to travel through the picturesque landscapes of the Bengal Himalayas. It touches many other tourist destinations in the region (Roy, 2010).
Tourism attraction	6	The presence of at least one tourist attraction site/centre within railway station premise or railway station districts (800 m radius), is an indicator of a ‘high’ tourism attraction. The presence of at least one tourist attraction site/centre within 2 km radius (accessible by local public transport modes) denotes ‘moderate’ tourism attraction.
Existing infrastructure	7	New Jalpaiguri railway station is one of the busiest broad gauge railway stations of entire northeastern India. People can reach the station from any corner of the country. Additionally, it hosts the origin point of the DHR on a narrow gauge track. Both, Siliguri Junction and Siliguri Town railway stations are accessible through broad gauge railway as well as the DHR. Sukna railway station is accessible only through the DHR. All the railway stations are well accessible through road transport. Bagdogra International Airport is also situated in close proximity to Siliguri (nearly 12 km of road distance).
	8	A moderate number of hotels are located in the district of New Jalpaiguri railway station, but there are good prospects for the future development of better tourist accommodation facilities due to the vast availability of vacant land. A moderate number of hotels and lodges are located in the district of Siliguri Junction railway station. The tourist accommodation facilities in the Siliguri Town railway station district are very limited. There are few tourist accommodation facilities in the district of Sukna railway station.
	9	Since the existing tourism infrastructure in these railway station districts is not developed, no official tour guide is available in the railway station districts.
	10	Except for the district of Sukna railway station, other railway station districts are not parts of any restricted area. The 800 m buffer around Sukna railway station shares boundary with Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.
Economic justification	11	The notion of Railwayscape speaks for local employment generation through the engagement of local people in the production and management of the built environment around railway stations. Moreover, once the railway station districts will be developed into well-furnished and inclusive tourism enclaves, like railway museums, railway parks, outdoor restaurants and many more, local people, especially the railway station district dwellers, will come across a diversity of employment opportunities. However, the local employment potential is greater in the case of New Jalpaiguri railway station due to its vast nationwide connectivity and consequent greater tourist attraction capacity; and Sukna railway station also has greater employment potential due to its close proximity to picturesque tea gardens and tropical forests.
Aesthetic justification	12	Production of Railwayscape involves effective redevelopment of railway station districts and consequent increase in aesthetic valuation of urban land.
Environmental impact	13	Those areas that are the parts of any eco-sensitive zone will not be considered for any interruption.

Table 2

Fig. 4.

Table 3

Table 4

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the four selected railway station districts to produce Railwayscape."

Attribute	Description
Strengths	The presence of the DHR, which is an already established tourist attraction and World Heritage Site, recognised by the UNESCO. The historical importance of Siliguri as a ‘railway town’ as the growth of the township was largely aided by some colonial railway systems. Close proximity to other tourist spots of the western Dooars Plain and Bengal Himalayas. Remarkable accessibility of Siliguri in the regional and national transportation networks. Remarkable acceptance of railway mode among Indian citizens and the consequent ability of the railway system to assist a better sense of togetherness and inclusivity.
Weaknesses	None of the station districts is planned in accordance with the demands of tourists. Due to the thickly settled nature of some railway districts, land availability becomes a huge concern. The existing railway heritage conservation sites (e.g., the DHR’s photo gallery of Sukna railway station) are not so popular among tourists. Local people are not substantially aware of the heritage value of the DHR and its associated infrastructure.
Opportunities	Regeneration of railway station districts. Yielding better economic virtue for the concerned authorities from the land, which otherwise is producing very low economic worth. Enabling Indian Railways to diversify their pursuits and seek alternative sources of revenue generation. Multiple departments coexisting in the railway landscape (such as museums, railway cafes, railway parks, etc.) create employment opportunities for local people. Better pursuance of conservation of railway heritage. Facilitating educational and research interests. Enhancement in the status of Siliguri as a place to live and socialize, instead of a place to merely pass through. Generate a greater sense of togetherness among citizens, where they will find a common ground to link each other and feel proud of their railway history.
Threats	In India, railway stations and their immediate surroundings are serving as reference cityscapes for urban marginalisation for a long time. Therefore, there are enough risks of displacement of impoverished people, having an organic relationship with railway stations and their territories. Political instability in a multi-party political system may pose some severe hindrances in such an endeavour.

Table 4

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