Parliament Question: Raiganj Railway Station

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6087 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026 RAIGANJ RAILWAY STATION

6087. SHRI KARTICK CHANDRA PAUL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether Raiganj railway station in Uttar Dinajpur district has been excluded from the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the criteria adopted by the Government for selection of stations under the said Scheme;

(c) whether Raiganj fulfils the parameters relating to passenger footfall, district headquarters status and regional connectivity and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the details of present passenger handling capacity, annual footfall, revenue generation and category classification of the said station;

(e) whether proposals received from MP, local representatives/the Railway Division for inclusion of Raiganj station and status under the said scheme and if so, the details thereof; and

(f) whether the Government proposes to include Raiganj railway station in the next phase of station redevelopment/sanction a separate comprehensive development plan with modern passenger amenities, circulating area improvement, escalators, lifts and digital facilities and if so, the timeline thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (f) At Raiganj station of Uttar Dinajpur district, located in West Bengal, facilities like high level platform, platform shelter, waiting hall, drinking water arrangement, urinal, lavatory, seating arrangement, Foot Over Bridge etc. are available. Raiganj station is (Non-Suburban Grade) § Page 1 of 6NSG-4 category station. The works of improvement of station building, platform shelter, raising and extension of platform no. 1, widening of platform no. 2, improvement of waiting hall, toilet block at platform no. 2, circulating area and 6 m Foot Over Bridge have been completed in recent years.

Further, development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations including provision of passenger amenities like circulating area, lift, escalator etc. 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.

The annual footfall at Raiganj station is 23.88 lakh in 2024-25 and is 23.70 lakh in 2025-26 (up to February 2026).

The segment-wise revenue and source-wise expenditure details for Zonal Railways are available in the Annual Statistical Statements on Indian Railway website.

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. The master planning 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 ‘One Station One Product’  Parking areas, Multimodal integration Page 2 of 6 Amenities for Divyangjans  Better passenger information systems  Provision of executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station.

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.

So far, 1,338 stations have been identified for development under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Out of these, 102 stations, including Aluabari Road, Dalkhola and Kaliyaganj stations of Uttar Dinajpur district, are located in West Bengal. The name of stations identified under Amrit Bharat Station

Scheme in West Bengal are as following:

No. of State Name of Stations Stations West Bengal 102 Adra, Alipur duar Jn., Aluabari Road, Ambika kalna, Anara, Andal Jn., Andul, Asansol Jn., Azimganj, Bagnan, Bally, Balurghat, Bandel Jn., Bangaon Jn., Bankura, Barabhum, Barasat, Barddhaman, Barrackpore, Belda, Berhampore court, Bethuadahari, Bhaluka Road, Binnaguri, Bishnupur, Bolpur Shantiniketan, Burnpur, Canning, Chandan nagar, Chandpara, Chandrakona Road, Dalgaon, Dalkhola, Dankuni, Dhulian Ganga, Dhupguri, Digha, Dinhata, Dum Dum Jn., Falakata, Garbeta, Gede, Haldia, Haldibari, Harishchandrapur, Hasimara, Hijli, Howrah Jn, Jalpaiguri, Jalpaiguri Road, Jangipur Road, Jhalida, Jhargram, Joychandi Pahar Jn, Kaliyaganj, Kalyani, Kalyani Ghoshpara, Kamakhyaguri, Katwa Jn, Khagraghat Road, Kharagpur Jn, Kolkata, Krishnanagar City Jn, Kumedpur Jn, Madhukunda, Madhyamgram, Malda Court, Malda Town, Mecheda, Page 3 of 6No. of State Name of Stations Stations Medinipur (Midnapore), Nabadwip Dham, Naihati Jn, New Alipurduar, New Cooch Behar, New Farakka Jn, New Jalpaiguri Jn, New Mal Jn, Ondagram, Panagarh, Pandabeswar, Panskura Jn, Purulia Jn, Rampurhat Jn, Ranaghat, Sainthia Jn, Salboni, Samsi, Santragachi, Sealdah, Shalimar, Shantipur, Sheoraphuli Jn., Shrirampur, Siliguri Jn., Sitarampur, Siuri, Sonarpur Jn., Suisa, Tamluk, Tarakeswar, Tulin, Uluberia

Completed stations:

Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in West Bengal have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 10 stations have been completed. The name of stations completed in West

Bengal are as following:

No. of State Name of stations stations West 10 Anara, Barabhum, Haldia, Haldibari, Bengal Joychandi Pahar Jn, Kalyani Ghoshpara, Kamakhyaguri, Panagarh, Siuri, Tamluk 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:  Aluabari Road station: The works of extension of platform no. 2, platform surfacing at platform no. 1 and 2, approach road and boundary wall have been completed. The works of station building, platform shelter and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

 Balurghat station: The works of improvement of station building, portico, extension of platform, waiting room, circulating area and Page 4 of 6approach road have been completed. The works of lift and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

 Dalkhola station: The works of platform surfacing, platform shelter and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been completed. The works of circulating area, approach road and lift have been taken up.  Jalpaiguri station: The works of extension and platform surfacing of platform no. 1, platform shelter, boundary wall and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been completed. The works of circulating area, lift and escalator have been taken up.

 Kaliyaganj station: The works of raising and extension of platform no.

1, improvement of platform surfacing at platform no. 2, platform shelter at platform no. 2, toilet block at platform no. 1 and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been completed. The works of improvement of station building, circulating area, boundary wall and lift have been taken up.

Stations are selected based on the proposals received from Zonal Railways, stations located in major cities and places of tourist and pilgrimage importance.

Proposals / requests / suggestions / representations, both formal and informal for Railway projects / works across the country are received on the basis of demands raised by State Governments, Members of Parliament, Ministries of Central Government, elected representatives, Railways' own requirements, organizations / rail users etc., at various levels including Railway Board, Zonal Railways, Division Office etc. Receipt of such suggestions / representations is a continuous and dynamic process and these are examined and action as found feasible and justified is taken from time to time.

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, airport 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 Page 5 of 6of 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.

Development / Upgradation / Modernization of stations including Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. The details of allocation and expenditure under Plan Head-53 are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not work-wise or station-wise or state-wise. West Bengal is covered under the jurisdiction of four railway zones, namely, Eastern Railway, Northeast Frontier Railway, South Eastern Railway and Metro Railway. For these zones, an allocation of ₹ 1,184 crore (Revised Estimate) has been made for the financial year 2025-26, out of which an expenditure of ₹ 1,231 crore (up to February, 2026) has been incurred so far.

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