Parliament Question: Development of Railway Stations in Mavelikkara Lok Sabha Constituency

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 909 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026 DEVELOPMENT OF RAILWAY STATIONS IN MAVELIKKARA LOK SABHA CONSTITUENCY 909. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the details of development works undertaken by the Government at Railway Stations falling under the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha Constituency; (b) the details of works completed, ongoing, under tender stage, approved and proposed during the last three years, station-wise; (c) the estimated cost and source of funding for each work and the stage of implementation thereof; (d) the timeline for completion of ongoing and approved works, station- wise; and (e) the measures taken/being taken by the Government to expedite pending works and ensure timely completion of station development projects in the said constituency? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (e) Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations. So far, 1337 stations have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 35 stations are located in Kerala including Mavelikara, Changanassery and Chengannur stations in Mavelikara Lok Sabha Constituency. The name of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Kerala are as following:No. of State Name of Stations Stations Kerala 35 Alappuzha, Angadippuram, Angamali For Kaladi, Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chengannur, Chirayinkeezh, Ernakulam, Ernakulam Town, Ettumanur, Ferok, Guruvayur, Kannur, Kasargod, Kayankulam Jn, Kollam Jn, Kozhikode, Kuttippuram, Mavelikara, Neyyattinkara, Nilambur Road, Ottappalam, Parappanangadi, Payyanur, Punalur, Shoranur Jn., Thalassery, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Thrisur, Tirur, Tiruvalla, Tripunithura, Vadakara, Varkala Shivagiri, Wadakancheri Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in the state of Kerala have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 07 stations (Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chirayinkeezh, Kuttippuram, Shoranur Jn., Vadakara, Wadakancheri) in the state of Kerala have been completed under this scheme. The works at other stations have also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of above stations is as given below: At Mavelikara Station, the works for provision of platform shelter, improvement to circulating area, parking area, improvement to station approach road, improvement to concourse and platform no.1 have been completed. The works of construction new porch, entrance arch, improvement to station building and provision of Divyangjan facilities have been taken up.At Chengannur station, the process for redevelopment work has been taken up by Southern Railway at a sanctioned cost of Rs. 98.46 crores. The redevelopment of Chengannur railway station envisages construction of new terminal building, pilgrim shelter, foot over bridge, 12 m wide roof plaza, platform upgradation including platform shelter, improvement to circulating area and parking space etc. The tendering process for the redevelopment of Chengannur railway station has been taken up. In recent years, improvements to pay and use toilets in circulating area, improvements to AC waiting hall as well as retiring rooms and replacement of damaged platform shelter roofing have been executed at Chengannur railway station. At Changanassery station, the works for improvement of station building, platform surface, provision of entrance arch, improvement of circulating area, parking area, provision of divyangjan facilities have been completed. Amrit Bharat Station scheme involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations. The master planning keeping in view the necessity at 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/air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic  Provision of lift/escalators/ramp  Improvement /Provision of platform surface and cover over platforms  Provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘OneStation One Product’  Parking areas, Multimodal integration  Amenities for Divyangjans  Better passenger information systems  Provision of executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, etc. The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term. Development / Upgradation / Modernization of stations including under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. The details of allocation and utilization of funds for development and maintenance of stations are maintained Zonal Railway- wise and not Parliament Constituency or Station-wise. Passenger amenities are generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’.The state of Kerala is covered under the jurisdiction of Southern Railway and for this zone, an allocation of ₹ 1125 crore (Revised Estimate) has been made for the financial year 2025-26. Development / Upgradation 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. The priority for development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations is accorded to higher category of station over lower category of station while sanctioning and executing the works.Development / Upgradation of railway stations is complex in nature involving safety of passengers & trains and requires various statutory clearances such as fire clearance, heritage, tree cutting, air-port clearance etc. The progress also gets affected due to brownfield related challenges such as shifting of utilities (involving water/sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipe lines, power/signal cables, etc.), infringements, operation of trains without hindering passenger movement, speed restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity of tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the completion time. Indian Railways has a well established mechanism to monitor implementation of projects including their reviews, inspection, check for quality of works and audits. Works are carried out adhering to the standards and specifications laid down in various codes and manuals. Inspections/audits/checks are carried out from time to time by various agencies/officials/multi-disciplinary teams as per laid down instructions and actions for correction including damages are taken immediately. This is a continuous and ongoing process. *****