Parliament Question: Modernisation of Railway Stations in Kerala under ABSS

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2955 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2026 MODERNISATION OF RAILWAY STATIONS IN KERALA UNDER ABSS 2955. SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the details of railway stations in Kerala selected for redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS); (b) whether any additional stations have been proposed from Northern Kerala and if so, the details thereof; and (c) the details of the present status of sanctioned works including the expected time-frame for completion? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (c) Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach. So far, 1340 stations have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 35 stations are located in Kerala. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Kerala are as following: State No. of Names of Stations Stations Kerala 35 Alappuzha, Angadippuram, Angamali For Kaladi, Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chengannur, Chirayinkeezh, Ernakulam, § Page 1 of 5State No. of Names of Stations Stations 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 Completed Station of Kerala: Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme has been taken up at a good pace. Details of stations completed in Kerala is as under: No. of State Name of Stations Stations Kerala 16 Angamali for Kaladi, Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chirayinkeezh, Ferok, Guruvayur, Kuttippuram, Mavelikara, Nilambur Road, Parappanangadi, Shoranur Junction, Thalassery, Tirur, Tripunithura, Vadakara, Wadakancheri The activities for development at other stations have also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of the stations is as given below: Page 2 of 5 Angadippuram station: The works of improvement of station building, new entrance porch, concourse, booking office, platform shelter, improvement of platform surface of platform no. 1 & 2, waiting hall, toilet, improvement of circulating area, parking, approach road, lifts, installation of Coach Indication Board, Train Indication Board and signages have been completed. The work of 6 m wide foot over bridge has been taken up.  Kasargod station: The works of improvement of station building, new entrance porch, improvements of booking office, concourse, improvement of platform surface of platform no. 2 & 3, improvement of circulating area, waiting hall, toilets, platform shelter, lifts, installation of Coach Indication Board and improvement of amenities for Divyangjan have been completed. The works of extension of platform no. 1, 6 m wide foot over bridge, escalator and parking at second entry have been taken up.  Kollam Junction station: The works of service building, multi level car parking and parcel building have been completed. The works of 12 m wide foot over bridge, air concourse, North terminal building, South terminal building and platform upgradation have been taken up.  Kozhikode station: The structural works of multi level car parking- first and second, East terminal building, West terminal building, staff quarters, railway health unit and railway office building have been taken up.  Payyanur station: The works of raising of platform no. 2 & 3, platform shelter, improvement of concourse, booking office, waiting hall, improvement of circulating area at second entry, parking, installation Page 3 of 5of Coach Indication Board and Train Indication Board have been completed. The works of improvement of station building, improvement of circulating area at main entry, lifts, amenities for Divyangjan and 6 m wide foot over bridge 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 / modernisation of a station is carried out based on category of station/condition/traffic handled etc. Amrit Bharat Station 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  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/ 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 Page 4 of 5 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. Development / Upgradation of railway stations is a complex in nature involving safety of passengers & trains and requires various statutory clearances such as tree cutting, heritage, fire clearance, airport clearance etc. These stations are in operation since long, so brownfield work challenges are being faced, such as shifting of utilities (involving water/sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipelines, power/signal cables, etc.), infringements, operation of trains without hindering passenger movement, speed restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity of the tracks and near to high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the progress of work and completion time. ***** Page 5 of 5