Parliament Question: Railway Grievances in Hingoli Lok Sabha Constituency

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2055 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026 RAILWAY GRIEVANCES IN HINGOLI LOK SABHA CONSTITUENCY

2055. SHRI AASHTIKAR PATIL NAGESH BAPURAO:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware of the acute hardship faced by passengers in the Hingoli Lok Sabha Constituency, Maharashtra due to frequent cancellations, short-terminations, irregular running of trains, the recent reduction in coach capacity/removal of general coaches, non- availability of reserved tickets, long waiting list and extreme overcrowding;

(b) if so, the details thereof specifically the impact on daily commuters, students, women and elderly passengers, farmers, patients, etc., the reasons for such disruptions and non- augmentation of coaches despite rising demand;

(c) whether it is a fact that several railway stations in the Hingoli district currently face serious deficiencies in basic passenger amenities and safety infrastructure, including non-functional toilets, lack of drinking water, inadequate lighting, the absence of foot overbridges and unsafe platforms;

(d) if so, the details thereof and the reasons for the delay in the upgradation/redevelopment of these stations despite repeated public representations;

(e) whether the Government has received requests for providing stoppages for important long- distance trains at Hingoli Road, adjoining stations and if so, the action taken thereon to prevent passengers from resorting to costly and unsafe road travel; and

(f) the details of immediate corrective measures and budgetary provisions proposed to be taken by the Government in the current financial year to restore punctual train services, improve station infrastructure and ensure the safety of passengers in this backward and tribal-dominated constituency? §ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (f) Indian Railways in its endeavour to provide safer and better travel experience to the passengers, undertakes infrastructural and maintenance- related works. To facilitate these works, partial cancellation, cancellation and diversion of some trains are necessitated. Accordingly, during 2025–26, a few trips of trains passing through Hingoli Deccan station were cancelled and trains were diverted. However, these are restored back once the works are complete.

Hingoli Deccan is served by 38 train services providing connectivity to cities like Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hazur Sahib Nanded, Tirupati, Kacheguda, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow).

S.N. Train No. & Name 1 11403/04 Nagpur - SCSM (T) Kolhapur Express 2 11405/06 Pune - Amravati Express 3 12071/72 Mumbai CSMT - Hingoli Deccan Jan Shatabdi Express 4 12421/22 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Amritsar Express 5 12439/40 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Shri Ganganagar Express 6 12485/86 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Shri Ganganagar Express 7 12719/20 Jaipur - Hyderabad Express 8 12751/52 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Jammu Tawi Humsafar Express 9 12765/66 Tirupati - Amravati Express 10 17605/06 Kacheguda - Bhagat Ki Kothi Express 11 17639/40 Kacheguda - Akola Express 12 17641/42 Kacheguda - Narkher Express 13 17683/84 Akola -Purna Express 14 19301/02 Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow) - Yesvantpur Express 15 19713/14 Jaipur - Kurnool City Express 16 22709/10 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Amb Andaura Express 17 22723/24 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Shri Ganganagar Express 18 57655 Parli Vaijnath–Akola Passenger19 57656 Akola-Purna Passenger 20 77613 Purna–Akola DEMU 21 77614 Akola-Parli Vaijnath DEMU Besides, provision of stoppage of train services, depends on the traffic justification, operational feasibility including availability of extra time on the

section & availability of matching infrastructure such as Platform length etc.

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme Further, to provide better amenities at stations, 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 ● 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 stationThe 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, 1337 stations have been identified for development under this scheme, out of which 132 stations including Himayatnagar, Hingoli Deccan and Kinwat stations of Hingoli Lok Sabha Constituency, are located in Maharashtra. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit

Bharat Station Scheme in Maharashtra are as following:

State No. of Name of Stations Statio ns Maharashtra 132 Ahmednagar, Ajni (Nagpur), Akalkot Road, Akola, Akurdi, Amalner, Amgaon, Amravati, Andheri, Badnera, Balharshah, Bandra Terminus, Baramati, Belapur, Bhandara Road, Bhokar, Bhusawal, Borivali, Byculla, Chalisgaon, Chanda Fort, Chandrapur, Charni Road, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Chinchpokli, Chinchwad, Dadar (CR), Dadar (WR), Dahisar, Daund, Dehu Road, Devlali, Dhamangaon, Dharangaon, Dharashiv, Dharmabad, Dhule, Diva, Dudhani, Gangakher, Godhani, Gondia, Grant Road, Hadapsar, Hatkanangale, Hazur Sahib Nanded, Himayatnagar, Hinganghat, Hingoli Deccan, Igatpuri, Jalgaon, Jalna, Jeur, Jogeshwari, Kalyan Jn, Kamptee, Kandivali, Kanjur Marg, Karad, Katol, Kedgaon, Kinwat, Kopargaon, Kurduwadi Jn, Kurla Jn, Lasalgaon, Latur, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Lonand Jn, Lonavla,Lower Parel, Malad, Malkapur, Manmad Jn, Manwath Road, Marine Lines, Matunga, Miraj Jn, Mudkhed Jn, Mumbai Central, Mumbra, Murtizapur Jn, Nagarsol, Nagpur Jn, Nandgaon, Nandura, Nandurbar, Narkher Jn, Nashik Road, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari Junction, Pachora Jn, Palghar, Pandharpur, Panvel Jn, Parbhani Jn, Parel, Parli Vaijnath, Partur, Phaltan, Prabhadevi, Pulgaon Jn, Pune Jn, Purna Jn, Raver, Rotegaon, Sainagar Shirdi, Sandhurst Road, Sangli, Satara, Savda, Selu, Sewagram, Shahad, Shegaon, Shivaji Nagar Pune, Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus Kolhapur, Solapur, Talegaon, Thakurli, Thane, Titvala, Tumsar Road, Umri, Uruli, Vadala Road, Vidyavihar, Vikhroli, Wadsa, Wardha, Washim, Wathar Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Maharashtra have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 17 stations (Amgaon, Baramati, Chanda Fort, Chinchpokli, Devlali, Dhule, Kedgaon, Lasalgaon, Lonand Jn, Matunga, Murtizapur Jn, Nandura, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari Junction, Parel, Savda, Shahad, Vadala Road) in Maharashtra 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: ● Himayatnagar station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, improvement of platform surface, waiting hall, toilet, circulating area and lift have been taken up.

● Hingoli Deccan station: The works of platform shelter and improvement of platform surface of platform no. 2 have been completed. The worksof new station building, improvement of existing station building, platform surface of platform no. 1, circulating area, lift and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

● Kinwat station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, improvement of platform surface, waiting hall, toilet, circulating area, lift and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

● Washim station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, improvement of platforms, platform shelter, improvement of waiting hall, toilet, circulating area, lift and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

● Manwath Road station: The work of platform shelter has been completed. The works of improvement to station building, entrance porch, platform surfacing, waiting hall, toilet and lift have been taken up.

Further, development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations on Indian Railways including provision for toilet, drinking water, lighting, Foot Over Bridge, platforms etc. 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.

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 of trains without hindering passenger movement, speed restrictions due to works carried outin close proximity of tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the completion time.

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 / 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. Maharashtra is covered under the jurisdiction of four railway zones, namely, Central Railway, South Central Railway, South East Central Railway and Western Railway. For these zones, an allocation of ₹ 3,834 crore has been made for the financial year 2025-26, out of which an expenditure (up to December, 2025) of ₹ 3,122 crore has been incurred so far.

Safety:

Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways. As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years, including those for level crossings, there has been a steep decline in the number of accidents.

Number of Consequential Train Accidents has reduced as shown in the table

below:-Year Consequential Accidents 2014-15 135 2025-26 (Till 31.01.2026) 12 (90% lesser) Another important index showing improvement in safety in train operations is Consequential Accidents Index, the details of which are as under:-

Consequential Accident Index:- Year Accident Index 2014-15 0.11 2024-25 0.03 (73% lesser) This index measures number of consequential accidents as a ratio of total running Kilometers of all trains.

No. of consequential accidents Accident Index = No. of trains X million kilometers runThe various safety measures taken to enhance safety in train operations are

as under:-

1. On Indian Railways, the expenditure on Safety related activities has

increased over the years as under:- Expenditure/Budget on Safety related activities (Rs. in Cr.) 2013-14 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 39,200 87,336 1,01,662 1,14,022 1,17,693

2. Electrical/Electronic Interlocking Systems with centralized operation of points and signals have been provided at 6,660 stations up to 31.12.2025 to reduce accidents due to human failure.

3. Interlocking of Level Crossing (LC) Gates has been provided at 10,097 Level Crossing Gates up to 31.12.2025 for enhancing safety at LC Gates.

4. Complete Track Circuiting of stations to enhance safety by verification of track occupancy by electrical means has been provided at 6,665 stations up to 31.12.2025.

5. Kavach is a highly technology intensive system, which requires safety certification of highest order. Kavach was adopted as a National ATP system in July 2020. Based on deployment of Kavach version 3.2 on 1465 RKm on South Central Railway and experience gained, further improvements were made. Finally, Kavach specification version 4.0 was approved by RDSO on

16.07.2024.

After extensive and elaborate trials, Kavach Version 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on 1297 Route Kilometres, covering the high density Delhi - Mumbai and Delhi - Howrah routes. On the Delhi - Mumbai route Kavach ver 4.0 has been commissioned on Junction cabin - Palwal - Mathura - Nagda section (667 Rkm) & Ahmedabad - Vadodara - Virar section(432 Rkm) and on the Delhi - Howrah route on Gaya - Sarmatanr (93 Rkm) and Bardhaman - Howrah section (105 Rkm).

6. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Signalling, e.g. mandatory correspondence check, alteration work protocol, preparation of completion drawing, etc. have been issued.

7. System of disconnection and reconnection for S&T equipment as per protocol has been re-emphasized.

8. All locomotives are equipped with Vigilance Control Devices (VCD) to improve alertness of Loco Pilots.

9. Retro-reflective sigma boards are provided on the mast which is located two OHE masts prior to the signals in electrified territories to alert the crew about the signal ahead when visibility is low due to foggy weather.

10. A GPS based Fog Safety Device (FSD) is provided to loco pilots in fog affected areas which enables loco pilots to know the distance of the approaching landmarks like signals, level crossing gates, etc.

11. Modern track structure consisting of 60 kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength

(UTS) rails, Prestressed Concrete Sleeper (PSC) Normal/Wide base sleepers with elastic fastening, fan shaped layout turnout on PSC sleepers, Steel Channel/H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges is used while carrying out primary track renewals.

12. Mechanisation of track laying activity through use of track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc. to reduce human errors.

13. Maximizing supply of 130m/260m long rail panels for increasing progress of rail renewal and avoiding welding of joints, thereby improving safety.

14. Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) testing of rails to detect flaws and timely removal of defective rails.15. Laying of longer rails, minimizing the use of Alumino Thermic Welding and adoption of better welding technology for rails i.e., Flash Butt Welding.

16. Monitoring of track geometry by OMS (Oscillation Monitoring System) and TRC (Track Recording Cars).

17. Patrolling of railway tracks to look out for weld/rail fractures.

18. The use of Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossing in turnout renewal works.

19. Inspections at regular intervals are carried out to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices.

20. Web based online monitoring system of track assets viz. Track database and decision support system has been adopted to decide rationalized maintenance requirement and optimize inputs.

21. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Track, e.g. integrated block, corridor block, worksite safety, monsoon precautions, etc. have been issued.

22. Preventive maintenance of railway assets (Coaches & Wagons) is undertaken to ensure safe train operations.

23. Replacement of conventional ICF design coaches with LHB design coaches is being done.

24. All unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge (BG) route have been eliminated by January 2019.

25. Safety of Railway Bridges is ensured through regular inspection of Bridges. The requirement of repair/rehabilitation of Bridges is taken up based upon the conditions assessed during these inspections.

26. Indian Railways has displayed Statutory “Fire Notices” for widespread passenger information in all coaches. Fire posters are provided in everycoach so as to educate and alert passengers regarding various Do’s and Don’ts to prevent fire. These include messages regarding not carrying any inflammable material, explosives, prohibition of smoking inside the coaches, penalties etc.

27. Production Units are providing Fire detection and suppression system in newly manufactured Power Cars and Pantry Cars, Fire and Smoke detection system in newly manufactured coaches. Progressive fitment of the same in existing coaches is also underway by Zonal Railways in a phased manner.

28. Regular counselling and training of staff is undertaken.

29. Concept of Rolling Block introduced in Indian Railways (Open Lines) General Rules vide Gazette notification dated 30.11.2023, wherein work of integrated maintenance/ repair/replacement of assets is planned up to 52 weeks in advance on rolling basis and executed as per plan.

The details of the Safety related works related to better maintenance practices, Technological improvements, better infrastructure and rolling stock etc. undertaken by Railways are tabulated below:- Item 2004-05 to 2014-15 to 2014-25 Vs.

SN 2013-14 2024-25 2004-14 Technological Improvements

1. Use of high-quality 57,450 1.43 Lakh More than 2 rails(60 Kg) (Km) Km Km times

2. Longer Rail Panels 9,917 Km 77,522 Km Nearly 8

(260m) (Km) times

3. Electronic 837 3,691 More than 4 Interlocking Stations Stations times

(Stations)

4. Fog Pass Safety As on As on 288 times Devices (Nos.) 31.03.14: 31.03.25:

90 Nos. 25,939 Nos.5. Thick Web Switches Nil 28,301 (Nos.) Nos.

Better Maintenance Practices

1. Primary Rail 32,260 Km 49,941 Km 1.5 times Renewal (Track Km)

2. USFD (Ultra Sonic 79.43 2 Crore More than 2 Flaw detection) Lakh times Testing of Welds (Nos.)

3. Weld failures (Nos.) In 2013- In 2024-25: 90 % 14: 3699 370 Nos. reduction Nos.

4. Rail fractures (Nos.) In 2013- In 2024-25: More than 14: 2548 289 Nos. 88% Nos. reduction Better Infrastructure and Rolling Stock

1. New Track KM added 14,985 34,428 Km More than 2 (Track Km) Km times

2. Flyovers 4,148 13,808 More than 3

(RoBs)/Underpasses Nos. Nos. times

(RUBs) (Nos.)

3. Unmanned Level As on As on Removed crossings 31.03.14: 31.03.24:Nil (Nos.) on BG 8,948 (All eliminated by

31.01.19)

4. Manufacture of LHB 2,337 42,677 More than 18 Coaches (Nos.) Nos. times *****