Parliament Question: Increasing the Number of General Class Coaches and Permanent Holding Areas at Railway Stations

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4004 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.08.2026 INCREASING THE NUMBER OF GENERAL CLASS COACHES AND PERMANENT HOLDING AREAS AT RAILWAY STATIONS †4004. SHRI MURARI LAL MEENA: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that severe overcrowding and shortage of seats in General Class coaches are causing disputes and mishap among passengers and mishaps are taking place including a recent incident at Shahdara Railway Station in Delhi where a youth lost his life in a dispute over a seat in a general coach and if so, the findings of the Government investigation into this incident; (b) whether the Government has made any assessment of accidents and untoward incidents caused by overcrowding in General Class Coaches during the last three years and if so, the details thereof, year-wise; and (c) whether the Government is working on a plan to increase the number of General Class Coaches in major trains keeping in view the rising passenger volume and to develop permanent holding areas for systematic passenger management at major stations like Dausa and Bandikui and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (c): On Indian Railways, traffic pattern of passengers is not uniform throughout the year and it varies over lean and peak periods. During peak rush periods, the occupancy of the trains especially on popular routes remains full whereas during lean period and on less popular routes, there is sub optimal utilization. With a view to meet the demand of passengers travelling in unreserved coaches Indian Railways (IR) have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding general class travel. During the financial year 2024- § Page 1 of 1225 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. Moreover, Indian Railways constantly endeavour to improve connectivity for the travelling passengers. To this end, new services are introduced, existing train services are extended and their frequency increased. Accordingly, on the Indian Railways network, during 2024-2025, 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 (till June, 2026) more than 720 train services have been introduced, more than 300 train services have been extended and frequency of about 46 trains have been increased. To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways(IR) have taken up manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper). On Indian Railways, the percentage of non-AC coaches is about 70%, while the percentage of non-AC seats is around 78% as compared to AC seats which is around 22%. The details are as under: Table 1: Distribution of Coaches: Type of Coaches No. of Percentage Coaches Non-AC coaches (general and ~62,000 ~70% sleeper) AC coaches ~27,000 ~30% Total coaches ~89,000 100% Table 2: Distribution of Seats: Type of Seats Number of Seats Percentage Non-AC Seats ~54 lakhs ~78% AC Seats ~15 lakhs ~22% Total Seats ~69 lakhs 100% Page 2 of 12Moreover, 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. Accordingly, 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 Indian Railway, in its constant endeavour to provide affordable, good quality services to all sections of society, introduces new train services, augments the existing trains and also runs special trains. AMRIT BHARAT AND NAMO BHARAT RAPID RAIL SERVICES: Amrit Bharat Service 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: Page 3 of 12i. Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper. ii. Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers. iii. Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube. iv. Provision of CCTV system in all coaches and Luggage room. v. Improved designs of toilets. vi. Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth. vii. Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets. viii. Provision of EP assisted braking system. ix. Aerosol based fire suppression system in toilets and electrical cubicles. x. USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets. xi. Emergency Talk Back system for two-way communication between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager. xii. Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity. xiii. Fully sealed gangways with quick release mechanism for easy attachment and detachment. As on 07.08.2026, the following 36 pairs Amrit Bharat Express services are being operated on the Indian Railways network: S.No 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 BapudhamMotihari - 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 Page 4 of 1213 19623/19624 Madar - Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express 14 16601/16602 Erode - Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express 15 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 35 19725/19726 Khatipura- Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express 36 11431/11432 Pune - Danapur Amrit Bharat Express Page 5 of 12Namo Bharat Rapid Rail service Indian Railways have introduced Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services. These services are aimed to enhance the travel experience to the suburban and regional commuters for short distance travel. The prominent features of Namo Bharat Rapid Rail are as follows: 1. Centrally controlled Double Leaf Automatic Sliding Doors. 2. CCTVs for safety and passenger surveillance. 3. Modular interior with Cushioned Seats and Sealed Flexible Gangway. 4. Emergency Talk System. 5. Continuous LED lighting with Energy Efficient Lighting system. 6. FRP Modular Toilets with vacuum evacuation. 7. Fully Air-Conditioned trains with Driver cab AC. As on 27.07.2026, the following 4 Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services are in operation: S.No. Train Number and Name 1 94801/94802 Ahmedabad-Bhuj Namo Bharat Rapid Rail 2 94803/94804 Jaynagar-Patna Namo Bharat Rapid Rail On 20.06.2026, a dispute over boarding a general coach at Delhi Shahdara Railway Station led to the death of a youth. In this regard, Government Railway Police (GRP), Delhi registered FIR No. 38/2026 under Sections 105 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station Old Delhi Railway Station. Safety and Security of Passengers The following steps are being taken by the Railways in coordination with Government Railway Police (GRP)/Local Police for safety and security of passengers at stations: - i. For immediate assistance to railway passengers, the online grievance redressal mechanism ‘RailMadad’ provides an integrated platform for raising grievances, seeking assistance, and making inquiries. Through RailMadad, passengers can seek redressal via multiple channels such as Helpline number 139, the RailMadad website, mobile app, and SMS. The platform also enables passengers to share feedback on the resolution of their grievances. ii. Railways remain in regular touch with passengers through various social media platforms, viz. Twitter, Facebook etc., to enhance passenger security and address their security concerns. Page 6 of 12iii. Frequent announcements are made through Public Address System to educate passengers to take precautions against theft, snatching, drugging etc. iv. Surveillance is maintained through CCTV cameras installed in several coaches and railway stations to enhance passenger security. v. State Level Security Committee of Railways (SLSCR) have been constituted for all State/Union Territories under the Chairmanship of respective Director General of Police/Commissioner of States/Union Territories for regular monitoring and review of security arrangements of the Railways. vi. Coordination with GRP/State Police and concerned railway departments are made for ensuring crowd management. vii. Vulnerability assessment is done across railway stations and accordingly Government Railway Police (GRP) & Railway Protection Force (RPF) staff are deployed to the extent possible at sensitive locations to regulate crowd smoothly during the heavy rush period and render real time assistance to passengers. viii. GRP & RPF staff are deployed at foot-over bridges to regulate crowd smoothly in order to avoid stampede like situation during the heavy rush period and render real time assistance to passengers. Further to handle heavy rush of passengers at stations over the Indian Railways, following decisions have also been taken by railways - I. Creation of Permanent holding areas at identified stations for crowd management over Indian Railways: The Ministry of Railways has initiated plans to establish passenger holding areas to decongest the platforms at stations, designed as comfortable, organized spaces with essential amenities such as seating, drinking water, toilets, ticketing facilities, information displays, and security checks to handle peak-hour footfall. Holding area at New Delhi Railway Station has already been commissioned, easing congestion and enhancing passenger convenience with facilities like additional ticket counters, Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs), Passenger Awareness System (PAS), electronic train information boards, CCTV surveillance, luggage scanners, Door Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs), uninterrupted power supply, improved lighting, High Volume Low Speed (HVLS) fans, fire-fighting and lightning protection systems, RO drinking water, and separate toilets for men, women, and Divyangjans. Page 7 of 12II. Provision of complete access control, allowing passengers with confirmed reserved tickets direct entry to the platforms, while those without tickets or holding waiting list tickets are accommodated in designated outside waiting areas. Complete access control is being provided where passengers with confirmed reserved tickets are given direct access to the platforms whereas, passengers without a ticket or with a waiting list ticket wait in the holding area. III. Provision of a large number of AI-enabled CCTV cameras at railway stations and adjoining areas to facilitate close monitoring and effective crowd management. IV. Establishing War rooms at major stations, where officers from all departments can work in coordination to manage crowd situations effectively. V. Installation of latest design digital communication equipment like walkie-talkies, announcement systems, calling systems on all heavy crowd stations. VI. Issuing of newly designed QR-based ID cards to all staff and service personnel to ensure controlled and secure access to the station. VII. Providing new design uniforms to all staff members so that they can be easily identified during a crisis situation. VIII. Designating a senior officer at all major stations, as the Station Director, vested with financial powers to take on-the-spot decisions for station improvement. All other departments to report directly to the Station Director to ensure unified command and efficient management. IX. Empowering Station Director to control the sale of tickets as per capacity of the station and the available trains. Amrit Bharat Stations: Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach. At Dausa Station following works have been completed under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme:  Improvement of station building, porch  Improvement of circulating area and parking  Improvement of platform surface Page 8 of 12 Improvement of waiting hall and toilets  Provision of new 12m wide foot over bridge  Provision of platform shelter  Provision of lifts At Bandikui station, the following works have been completed under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme:  Improvement of station building  Improvement of circulating area and parking  Improvement of platform surface  Provision of new waiting hall  Improvement of toilet  Provision of platform shelter  Provision of 12 m wide foot over bridge The works of lifts at Bandikuistation have been taken up. The above facilities are sufficient to tackle the current passenger traffic. Amrit Bharat StationScheme 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 ● 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. Page 9 of 12The 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 this scheme, out of which 85 stations are located in Rajasthan. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Rajasthan are as following: No. of Name of Stations State Stations Rajasthan 85 Abu Road, Ajmer, Alwar, Anupgarh, AsalpurJobner, Balotra, Bandikui, Baran, Barmer, Bayana, Beawar, Bharatpur, Bhawani Mandi, Bhilwara, Bijainagar, Bikaner, Bundi, Chanderiya, Chhabra Gugor, Chittorgarh Jn., Churu, Dausa, Deeg, Degana, Deshnoke, Dholpur, Didwana, Dungarpur, Falna, Fatehnagar, Fatehpur Shekhawati, Gandhinagar Jaipur, Gangapur City, Gogameri, Gotan, Govind Garh, Hanumangarh, Hindaun City, Jaipur Jn, Jaisalmer, Jalor, Jawai Bandh, Jhalawar City, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Kapasan, Khairthal, Kherli, Kota Jn, Lalgarh Jn, Mandal Garh, MandawarMahwa Road, Marwar Bhinmal, Marwar Jn, Mavli Jn, Merta Road Jn, Nagaur, Naraina, New Kota, Nim ka Thana, Nokha, Pali Marwar, Phalodi Jn, Phulera Jn, Pindwara, Rai Singh Nagar, Rajgarh, Ramdevra, Ramganj Mandi Jn, Ranapratapnagar, Rani, Ratangarh Jn, Ren, Ringas, Sadulpur, Sanganer, Sawai Madhopur, Shri Mahaveerji, Sikar, Sojat Road, Somesar, Sri Ganganagar, Sujangarh, Suratgarh, Udaipur City Page 10 of 12Completed Stations of Rajasthan: Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Rajasthan have been taken up at a good pace. Details of stations completed in Rajasthan are as under: State No. of Name of stations stations Rajasthan 18 Barmer, Bundi, Dausa, Deeg, Deshnoke, Fatehnagar, Fatehpur Shekhawati, Gangapur City, Gogameri, Gotan, Govind Garh, Jaisalmer, Khairthal, Mandal Garh, MandawarMahwa Road, Rajgarh, Sojat Road, Somesar  Jaisalmer station: Development works at Jaisalmer station have been completed which includes new station building at main entry side, 36 m wide air concourse with waiting area, new 6 m wide foot over bridge, improvement of circulating area, parking, new platform shelter, improvement of platform surface, lifts and escalators.  Barmer station: Development works at Barmer station have been completed which includes improvement of station building, improvement of circulating area, new 12 m wide foot over bridge, platform shelter, improvement of platform surface, new waiting hall, toilets and lifts. The activities for development at other stations of Rajasthan have also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of the stations is as given below:  Gandhinagar Jaipur station: The works of station building at main entry, station building at second entry, two level basement, air concourse, launching of through roof, provision of platform shelters, improvement of platform surface and improvement of circulating area have been completed. The finishing work has been taken up.  Jaipur Junction station: The works of 6 m wide foot over bridge at Dausa end, second entry side basement, approach road, structural work of main entry side basement, structural work of air concourse and 8 m wide central foot over bridge connecting concourse have been completed. The work of 6 m wide foot over bridge at Sikar end, structural work of main entry station building, foot over bridge along Page 11 of 12the track and roofing & flooring work of central foot over bridge have been taken up.  New Kota station: The structural work of front and rear station building, parcel building, new panel room, Railway Protection Force building, improvement of rear and front side circulating area, platform shelter at platform no. 1 and air concourse have been completed. The works of lifts, escalators, through roof, finishing of front and rear side station building, improvement of platform shelter at platform no 2&3, overhead tank and underground tank etc. have also been taken up.  Churu station: The works of new station building, improvement of platform shelter at platform no. 1 & 2, booking office, waiting room, retiring room, toilet, installation of Coach Indication Board and signages have been completed. The works of 12 m wide foot over bridge and lifts have been taken up.  Falna station: The works of improvement of station building, entrance porch, improvement of circulating area, parking, entry/exit gate, waiting room, amenities for Divyangjan, signages, platform shelters and improvement of platform surface have been completed. The works of toilet block, 12 m wide foot over bridge and lifts have been taken up.  Jawai Bandh station: The works of improvement of circulating area, parking entry/exit gate, booking counter, entrance porch, waiting room, platform shelters, improvement of platform surface, toilet blocks, amenities for Divyangjan, signages, new retiring room and development of station building at second entry have been completed. The works of 12 m wide foot over bridge and water booths have been taken up. Further, development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations on Indian Railways including provision of passenger amenities 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 / modernisation of a station is carried out based on category of station/condition/traffic handled etc. ***** Page 12 of 12