Parliament Question: Utilization of Railway Land

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3925 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.08.2026 UTILIZATION OF RAILWAY LAND 3925. SHRI MADDILA GURUMOORTHY: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the steps taken by the Government to redevelop vacant railway land for commercial and other productive uses with a view to generating non-fare revenue; (b) the details of the current status of the redevelopment of railway stations across the country, including the number of stations completed, under implementation and proposed for redevelopment; (c) whether the Government proposes to introduce additional affordable trains in the non-AC and sleeper categories in the country to cater the growing demand for economical rail travel; (d) if so, the details thereof including the proposed routes, categories of trains and implementation timeline; and (e) the details of the measures taken by the Government to prevent and remove illegal encroachments on railway land including the extent of railway land retrieved during the last three years and current year? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (e) The surplus vacant railway land which is not required by Railways for its immediate operational needs is entrusted to Rail Land Development Authority for commercial development, wherever feasible. Feasibility study is carried out through a reputed architect, marketing and valuation consultant by RLDA. For commercially viable land parcels, open competitive bids are invited and the highest bidder is awarded the site for § Page 1 of 12commercial development. The vacant railway land is also utilized for infrastructural development viz., Multi Tracking, Railway Workshops, New Passenger Terminals, Cargo Terminals, etc., as per railway’s operational needs. Railways carry out regular surveys and take action for their removal. In case of encroachments of temporary nature (soft encroachments) in the shape of jhuggies, jhopris and squatters, the same are removed in consultation and with the assistance of Railway Protection Force and local civil authorities. For old encroachments which are in the form of pucca structures (hard encroachment), where party is not amenable to persuasion, action is taken under Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 (PPE Act, 1971), as amended from time to time. Actual eviction of unauthorized occupants is carried out with the assistance of State Government and local administration/police. Removal of encroachments by Railways is a continuous process. During the last three years, about 63.79 ha of railway land has been reclaimed from encroachments. Station Redevelopment: Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach. The scheme involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations of Indian Railways. The master planning, keeping in view the necessity of each station, includes:  Improvement of access to station and circulating areas  Integration of station with both sides of city  Improvement of station building Page 2 of 12 Improvement of waiting halls, toilets, sitting arrangement, water booths  Provision of wider foot over bridge/subway to commensurate with passenger traffic  Provision of lifts/escalators/ramps  Improvement of platform surface and provision of platform shelter  Provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like 'One Station One Product’  Parking development  Amenities for Divyangjans  Better passenger information systems  Provision of air concourse, executive lounges, Multimodal integration, landscaping, etc. The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment friendly solutions etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term. So far, 1,340 stations have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 261 stations have been completed, work at the balance stations are at different stages of execution/tendering/master planning. The names of stations completed are as under: Aishbagh Junction, Alnavar, Amb Andaura, Ambasamudram, Ambikapur, Amgaon, Anandpur Sahib, Anara, Angamali for Kaladi, Ashoknagar, Ayodhya Dham Junction, Bachhrawan, Badami, Bagalkot, Baheri, Baijnath Paprola, Balaghat, Balangir Balod, Balrampur, Banmankhi, Bantawala, Barabhum, Baramati, Bareilly City, Baripada, Barmer, Barpali, Begumpet, Beohari, Bhaktinagar, Bhanupratappur, Bhilai, Bhind, Bijnor, Bimalgarh, Bommidi, Bundi, Byculla, Chaibasa, Chalakudi, Champa, Chanda Fort, Chandil, Changanassery, Chennai Park, Chhindwara, Chidambaram, Chinchpokli, Page 3 of 12Chinna Salem, Chirayinkeezh, Chunar Junction, Coonoor, Cumbum, Cuttack, Dakor, Daliganj, Dallirajhara, Dauram Madhepura, Dausa, Deeg, Derol, Deshnoke, Devlali, Dhampur, Dharwad, Dhule, Digha, Dongargarh, Eluru, Fatehabad, Fatehnagar, Fatehpur, Fatehpur Shekhawati, Ferok, Gadag, Gangapur City, Garbeta, Gauriganj Giridih, Godda, Godhra Junction, Gogameri, Gokak Road, Gola Gokarnath, Gomtinagar, Gotan, Govardhan, Govind Garh, Govindpur Road, Govindpuri, Guruvayur, Hafizpet, Haibargaon, Haldia, Haldibari, Hapa, Harpalpur, Harrawala, Hathras City, Hi-Tech City, Himayatnagar, Hodal, Hosapete, Idgah Agra Junction, Izzatnagar, Jaisalmer, Jalandhar Cantonment Junction, Jalpaiguri Road, Jam Jodhpur, Jam Wanthali, Jangaon, Jind Junction, Joychandi Pahar Junction, Junnor Deo, Kahalgaon, Kakinada Town Junction, Kalka, Kalyani Ghoshpara, Kamakhyaguri, Kanalus Junction, Karaikkudi Junction, Karamsad, Karimnagar, Katni South, Katrasgarh, Kedgaon, Kesinga, Khairthal, Khalilabad, Khambhaliya, Khariar Road, Koppal, Kosamba Junction, Kotdwar, Kulitturai, Kuttippuram, Lasalgaon, Limbdi, Lohardaga, Lonand Junction, Madhupur Junction, Mahbubabad, Mahe, Mahuva, Mailani Junction, Majbat, Malkapur, Mambalam, Manaparal, Mandal Garh, Mandawar Mahwa Road, Mandi Dabwali, Mangalagiri, Mannargudi, Matunga, Mavelikara, MCS Chhatarpur, Mithapur, Modinagar, Mohanlalganj, Morappur, Morbi, Muktsar, Munirabad, Muri Junction, Murtizapur Junction, Nainpur Junction, Namakkal, Nandura, Narmadapuram, Narwana Junction, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari Junction, Nidadavolu Junction, Nilambur Road, Okha, Orai, Orchha, Pakur, Palani, Palitana, Panagarh, Panki Dham, Paramakkudi, Parappanangadi, Parel, Parlakhemundi, Phaphamau Junction, Pirpainti, Piska, Pokhrayan, Pollachi Junction, Polur, Porbandar, Pratapnagar, Prayag Junction, Raj Nandgaon, Rajgarh, Rajmahal, Rajula Junction, Ramagundam, Ramgarh Cantonment, Ramghat Halt, Ranibennur, Rayanapadu, Sabaur, Saharanpur Junction, Sahibganj, Salempur, Page 4 of 12Samakhiyali, Samalpatti, Sanchi, Sankarpur, Sarona, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar Mohali, Savda, Seoni, Shahad, Shajapur, Shamli, Shivanarayanpur, Shivpuri, Sholavandan, Shoranur Junction, Shridham, Siddharth Nagar, Sihor Junction, Simultala, Siuri, Sojat Road, Somesar, Sri Bala Brahmeswara Jogulamba, Srirangam, Srivilliputtur, St. Thomas Mount, Subramanya Road, Sullurpeta, Suraimanpur, Swaminarayan Chappia, Talcher, Tamluk, Tanakpur, Thalassery, Thawe, Thiruvarur Junction, Tikamgarh, Tirur, Tiruvannamalai, Tripunithura, Tuni, Udagamandalam, Ujhani, Urkura, Utran, Vadakara, Vadala Road, Vidisha, Vindhyachal, Vriddhachalam Junction, Wadakancheri, Warangal. The activities for development at other stations have also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of the stations is as below:  Bhubaneswar station: The works of new West side and East side station building, air concourse, elevated driveway at West and East side and extension of foot over bridge have been completed. The works of improvement of platform surface, improvement of circulating area, platform shelters, lifts and escalators have been taken up.  Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station: The works of new post office building and parcel office, new Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police building at North side have been completed. The works of the new arrival and departure building at South side, new waiting hall, toilet, air concourse, 6 m wide foot over bridge, through roof, new underground tanks at North and South sides, new sewage treatment plant at North and South side, and new electrical sub station building have been taken up.  Gaya station: The work of the new arrival building at the second entry has been completed. The works of the new departure building at second entry, new arrival and departure building at main entry, new Page 5 of 12platform no. 8, new platform shelters, air concourse and improvement of circulating area have been taken up.  Nagpur Junction station: The works of relocation of passenger reservation system building and booking offices, and improvement of parking on the main entry side have been completed. The works of the new administrative building, departure building and basement parking on main entry side, departure building and unified basement on second entry side, new air concourse, improvement of platform surface at platform no. 8 and new platform shelters have been taken up.  Rameswaram station: The works of revamping Multi Functional Complex building into retiring rooms, structural works of East and North terminal building, parcel office, departure forecourt, arrival forecourt, substation building and sewage treatment plant have been completed. The finishing works of East terminal building, North terminal building, departure forecourt, sewage treatment plant, arrival forecourt, platform shelter and improvement of waiting hall have been taken up.  Tirupati station: The structural works of new South side station building (G+3+Basement), structural works of new North side station building, air concourse, underground and overhead water tanks, sewage treatment plant, rainwater harvesting, ramp to foot over bridge, lifts and escalators have been completed. The finishing works of station buildings, connecting bridge, approach road and platform shelters have been taken up. Further, development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations on Indian Railways is a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per requirement, subject to inter-se priority and availability of funds. Development /redevelopment / upgradation Page 6 of 12/ modernisation of a station is carried out based on the category of station/condition/traffic handled etc. Non A/C (General & Sleeper coaches): With a view to meet the demand of passengers travelling in unreserved coaches, Indian Railways have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding general class travel. During the financial year 2024- 25 alone, 1250 general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains to have at least 4 general class coaches. Similarly, during the year 2025-26 about 870 Coaches including 160 General Class coaches have been utilised for permanent augmentation. To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have taken up manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper) over the next 5 years. On IR, the percentage of non-AC coaches, is about 70% as indicated below: Table 1: Distribution of coaches: Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper) ~62,000 ~70% AC coaches ~27,000 ~30% Total coaches ~89,000 100% Table 2: Distribution of seats: Non-AC seats ~ 54 lakhs ~ 78% AC seats ~ 15 lakhs ~ 22% Total ~ 69 lakhs 100% Page 7 of 12Table 3: Passengers in general/unreserved coaches: Year No. of Passengers 2020-21 99 Cr (Covid year) 2021-22 275 Cr (Covid year) 2022-23 553 Cr 2023-24 609 Cr 2024-25 651 Cr 2025-26 681 Cr Moreover, to provide greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches, the extant policy regarding composition of Mail/Express trains provides for 12 (Twelve) General class & Sleeper class non- AC coaches and 08 (eight) AC-Coaches, in a train of 22 coaches, thereby providing greater accommodation for the passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches. Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways (IR) operate unreserved non- AC passenger trains/ MEMU / EMU etc. for affordable travel, which are in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services. Special Trains IR also operates Special train services during festivals, holidays, etc. to cater to the extra needs of passengers and supplement the accommodation available by regular services. Page 8 of 12Accordingly, the number of Special trains operated across the Indian Railways network, to facilitate the passengers during Summer/winter vacations, festivals like Holi, Durga Puja, Diwali, Chhath, Christmas, Sabrimala, Id-ul-fitr etc. are as below: Year No. of trips 2023-24 ~40,500 2024-25 ~85,400 2025-26 ~80,500 To provide affordable means of transportation to the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have introduced Amrit Bharat services that are fully non-AC modern trains. The present composition of Amrit Bharat consists of 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 01 Pantry Car and 02 Luggage cum Divyangjan coaches. High Speed and enhanced Safety standards are the hallmarks of these trains with following enhanced features and amenities: ● Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper. ● Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers. ● Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube. ● Provision of CCTV system in all coaches. ● Improved designs of toilets. ● Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth. ● Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets. ● Provision of EP assisted braking system. ● Aerosol based fire suppression system in toilets and electrical cubicles. ● USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets. Page 9 of 12● Emergency Talk Back system for two-way communication between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager. ● Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity. ● Fully sealed gangways with quick release mechanism for easy attachment and detachment. As on 05.08.2026, the following 36 pairs of Amrit Bharat Express services are being operated on the Indian Railways network: SN Train No. and Name 1 11015/11016 Lokmanya Tilak (T) - Saharsa Amrit Bharat Express 2 13697/13698 Gaya - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express 3 15293/15294 Muzaffarpur - Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express 4 15557/15558 Darbhanga - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express 5 15561/15562 Darbhanga - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express 6 15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express 7 22361/22362 Rajendranagar (T) - New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express 8 13433/13434 SMVT Bengaluru - Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express 9 13435/13436 Malda Town - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express 10 15133/15134 Chhapra - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express 11 14047/14048 Sitamarhi - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express 12 14627/14628 Saharsa - Chheharta Amrit Bharat Express 13 19623/19624 Madar - Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express 14 16601/16602 Erode - Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express Page 10 of 1215 19021/19022 Udhna - Brahmapur Amrit Bharat Express 16 15671/15672 Kamakhya - Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express 17 20609/20610 New Jalpaiguri - Tiruchchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express 18 16597/16598 SMVT Bengaluru - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express 19 11031/11032 Panvel - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express 20 16107/16108 Tambaram - Santragachi Amrit Bharat Express 21 13065/13066 Howrah - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express 22 22587/22588 Sealdah - Banaras Amrit Bharat Express 23 20603/20604 New Jalpaiguri - Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express 24 15949/15950 Dibrugarh - Gomti Nagar Amrit Bharat Express 25 16121/16122 Tambaram - Thiruvananthapuram Central Amrit Bharat Express 26 16329/16330 Nagercoil - Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express 27 17041/17042 Charlapalli - Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat Express 28 16619/16620 Podanur-Dhanbad Amrit Bharat Express 29 16357/16358 Nagercoil-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express 30 15673/15674 Charlapalli - Kamakhya Amrit Bharat Express 31 17065/17066 Charlapalli - Shalimar Amrit Bharat Express 32 22589/22590 Banaras- Hadapsar Amrit Bharat Express 33 22111/22112 Lokmanya Tilak(T)- Ayodhya Amrit Bharat Express 34 14663/14664 Amritsar- New Jalpaiguri Amrit Bharat Express Page 11 of 1235 19725/19726 Khatipura- Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express 36 11431/11432 Pune - Danapur Amrit Bharat Express Besides, introduction of new train services, including Amrit Bharat services, to cater to various routes/sections, is an on-going process, which depends on various factors including: ● Capacity of that section ● Availability of path ● Availability of required rolling stock ● Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock ● Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets ● Occupancy and the traffic requirement of the section ***** Page 12 of 12