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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1769
TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2026
RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AT MURSHIDABAD DISTRICT
1769. MR PATHAN YUSUF:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has reviewed the progress of ongoing railway
infrastructure projects in Murshidabad district, including the
construction of road overbridges/underpasses, railway station
redevelopment works and the closure of level crossings;
(b) whether the Government is aware of the severe traffic congestion and
safety hazards caused by the closure of railway level crossings at
Beldanga, Rejinagar and other stations on the Sealdah–Lalgola section
of said district; and
(c) if so, the details of present status, funds allocated, proposals to
expedite the construction of road overbridges/underpasses at these
locations and the expected date/timeline fixed for completion of the
projects, project-wise?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (c): Railway projects are surveyed /sanctioned/executed Zonal
Railway wise and not State-wise /District wise as the Railway projects
may span across State/district boundaries. Railway projects are taken up
on the basis of remunerativeness, Railway’s own operational requirements,
demands raised by State Governments, Central Ministries, Members of
Parliament, other public representatives, socio-economic considerations
etc. depending upon throwforward of ongoing projects and overall
availability of funds which is a continuous and ongoing process.
§ Page 1 of 12Recently Completed Projects in Murshidabad District:
Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in the
Murshidabad area are as under:
S. Project Cost
No. (Rs. in Cr.)
1 Azimganj-Murshidabad new line (7 Km) 164
2 Lalgola – Jiaganj Doubling (23 Km) 124
3 Azimganj-Manigram Doubling (21 km) 150
4 Bazar Sau-Azimganj Jn. Doubling (42 km) 343
5 Nalhati-Sagardighi Doubling (26 km) 193
6 Monigram-Nimtita Doubling (24 Km) 713
7 Azimganj-Sagardighi Doubling (16 Km) 98
Railway Budget:
Budget allocation in the recent years has increased significantly. Budget
allotment of projects is made commensurate to the progress achieved in
any project. Budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works,
falling fully/partly in the State of West Bengal is as under:-
Period Outlay
2009-14 Rs.4,380 Cr./year
2026-27 Rs. 14,205 Cr. (More than 3 times)
Track construction:
The details of constructing new tracks falling fully/partly in the State of
West Bengal during is as under:
Period New Track Commissioned
2009-14 863 Km
2014-26 1,366 Km
Page 2 of 12Projects Sanctioned:
As on 01.04.2026, 63 projects (14 New Lines, 04 Gauge Conversions and 45
Doubling), covering a total length of 5,148 Km, costing ₹83,433 crore,
falling fully/partly in West Bengal are sanctioned. The summary is as under:
Category No. of Total Length Total Exp.
projects Length Commissioned till upto March,
(in March, 2026 2026
Km) (in Km) (Rs. in Cr.)
New Lines 14 1,056 337 13,872
Gauge 4 1,201 854 3,676
Conversion
Doubling/Multi- 45 2,891 530 10,401
tracking
Total 63 5,148 1,721 27,949
Recently Completed Projects:
Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in the
State of West Bengal are as under:
S. No. Project Cost
(Rs. in Cr.)
1 Rampurhat-Mandarhill new line (130 Km) 908
2 Bardhaman-Katwa Gauge Conversion (52 Km) 696
3 Ahmedpur-Katwa Gauge Conversion (52 Km) 440
4 Panskura Kharagpur Doubling (45 Km) 408
5 Krishnanagar-Bethuadahari Doubling (28 Km) 152
6 Nabadwipdham-Patuli Doubling (22 Km) 170
7 Bethuadhahari-Plassey Doubling (23 km) 132
8 Ambikakalna-Nabadwipdham Doubling (23 km) 145
9 Tamluk Jn.- Basulya Sutahata Doubling (24 km) 245
Page 3 of 12S. No. Project Cost
(Rs. in Cr.)
10 Plassey- Jiaganj Doubling (54 km) 234
11 New Coochbehar-Gumanihat Doubling (29 km) 330
12 New Coochbehar-Samuktala Road Doubling (29 km) 445
13 Sainthia-Tarapith 3rd line (22 Km) 186
14 Ambari Falakata-New Maynaguri Doubling (38 km) 843
15 Bandel-Boinchi - 3rd line (31 km) 546
16 Boinchi-Shaktigarh 3rd line (26 km) 424
17 Kharagpur-Narayangarh 3rd line (24 km) 270
18 Purulia-Kotshila Doubling (36 Km) 393
19 Sagardighi- Malda Town Doubling (25 Km) 248
Ongoing Projects:
Some of the projects falling fully/partly in the State of West Bengal which
have been taken up are as under:
S.No. Project Cost
(Rs. in
Cr.)
1 Chandil- Damodar 3rd Line(121 Km) 1,932
2 Tarakeshwar-Bishnupur New Line (83 Km) 1,542
3 Sivok-Rangpo New Line (44 Km) 11,973
4 Balurghat-Hilli New Line (30 Km) 1,209
5 Kaliyaganj-Buniadpur New Line (33 Km) 1,147
6 Katihar-Kumedpur and Katihar-Mukuria Doubling 943
(65 Km)
7 Kharagpur-Adityapur 3rd line (132 Km) 3,450
8 Narayangarh-Bhadrak 3rd line (153 Km) 3,425
Page 4 of 12S.No. Project Cost
(Rs. in
Cr.)
9 Kalipahari-Bakhtarnagar 5th Line (18Km) 350
10 Dankuni-Baltikuri 3rd & 4th line (18 Km) 429
11 Murarai-Barharwa 3rd Line (49 Km) 935
12 Ranaghat-Krishnanagar City 3rd Line (26 Km) 446
13 Aluabari Road-New Jalpaiguri 3rd & 4th Line (57 1,630
Km)
14 Sainthia-Pakur 4th Line (81 Km) 1,569
15 Santragachi- Kharagpur 4th Line (111 Km) 2,905
16 Barbenda-Damrughutu Doubling, Damrughutu- 815
Bokaro Steel City 3rd & 4th Line (52 Km)
17 Ranaghat-Bangaon doubling (33 Km) 396
18 Hijli to Nimpura Through yard 3rd line (6 Km) 234
19 Doubling of New Jalpaiguri- Siliguri (7 Km) 215
20 Thakurganj-Siliguri Doubling (56 Km) 916
21 Bypass line at Rampur hat (12 Km) 190
Zonal Railway wise details of Railway projects are made available in public
domain on Indian Railway’s website.
To improve connectivity in Murshidabad district, survey of Gumani–New
Farakka–Malda Town 3rd & 4th Line (59 km) including four line railway
bridge on river Ganga has been completed and Detailed Project Report
(DPR) has been prepared.
After preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR), sanctioning of project
requires consultation with various stake-holders including State
Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog,
Ministry of Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and
Page 5 of 12dynamic process, exact timelines depends upon appraisals and approvals
by various stakeholders.
Station Redevelopment:
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 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
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.
Page 6 of 12So far, 1,340 stations have been identified for development under this
scheme, out of which 102 stations, including Azimganj, Berhampore
Court, Dhulian Ganga, Jangipur Road, Khagraghat Road and New
Farakka Jn. stations of Murshidabad district, are located in West
Bengal. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit
Bharat Station Scheme in West Bengal are as following:
State No. of Name of Stations
Stations
West Bengal 102 Adra, Alipurduar 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, Medinipur (Midnapore), Nabadwip
Page 7 of 12State No. of Name of Stations
Stations
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. Details of
stations completed in West Bengal are as under:
State No. of Name of stations
stations
West Anara, Barabhum, Digha, Garbeta, Haldia,
Bengal Haldibari, Jalpaiguri Road, Joychandi Pahar
13
Junction, Kalyani Ghoshpara, Kamakhyaguri,
Panagarh, Siuri, Tamluk
The activities for development at other stations of West Bengal have
also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of the stations
is as given below:
Azimganj station: The works of new second entry station building,
improvement of existing station building, entrance porch,
improvement of circulating area, parking, waiting halls and
Page 8 of 12improvement of platform surface have been completed. The work of
platform shelter has been taken up.
Berhampore Court station: The works of platform shelters at
platform no. 1 & 2/3 and improvement of platform surface at platform
no. 2/3 have been completed. The works of platform shelter at
platform no. 4/5, improvement of platform surface at platform no. 1,
booking counter and 6 m wide foot over bridge have been taken up.
Dhulian Ganga station: The works of improvement of circulating
area, waiting halls, toilet, booking counter, signages and lifts have
been completed. The works of extension of station building, 6 m
wide foot over bridge and improvement of parking have been taken
up.
Jangipur Road station: The works of improvement of waiting halls,
toilet, booking counter, signages and lifts have been completed. The
works of extension of station building and improvement of
circulating area have been taken up.
Khagraghat Road station: The works of installation of signages and
Train Indication Boards have been completed. The works of
improvement of station building, improvement of circulating area,
parking, waiting halls and entrance porch have been taken up.
New Farakka Junction station: The works of improvement of station
building, waiting halls, toilet, entrance porch, signages and Train
Indication Boards have been completed. The works of improvement
of circulating area and parking 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 /
Page 9 of 12upgradation / modernisation of a station is carried out based on
category of station/condition/traffic handled etc.
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.
Development / upgradation / modernisation of stations including under
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 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 ₹ 1,231 crore has been made for the financial year 2026-
27, out of which an expenditure (up to June, 2026) of ₹ 471 crore has
been incurred so far.
Level Crossings (LCs) :
As on 01.04.2026, Indian Railways has 15,689 Nos. of Manned Level
Crossings (MLCs) on Broad Gauge (BG). Of these, 1,552 Nos. MLCs are
situated in the State of West Bengal. Out of these MLCs, there are 119 Nos.
of MLCs on Sealdah-Lalgola section. Further, 42 Nos. ROB/ RUB works in
lieu of these MLCs have been sanctioned.
Page 10 of 12Level Crossings (LCs) are eliminated either by providing Road over Bridges/
Road under Bridges (ROBs/ RUBs) in lieu of LCs or through direct closure
(for low traffic LCs) or by diversion of road traffic to nearby ROB/RUB/LC
depending upon the site conditions.
ROBs & RUBs:
Sanctioning of works of Road over Bridge (ROB)/Road under Bridge (RUB) in
lieu of Level crossings (LCs) is a continuous and dynamic process of Indian
Railway. Such works are prioritised and taken up on the basis of their
impact on safety in train operations, mobility of trains & impact for road
users and feasibility etc.
No. of ROBs/ RUBs constructed on Indian Railways during the period 2004-
14 viz-a-viz 2014-26 (Upto May'26) is as under:
Period ROBS/ RUBS constructed
2004-14 4,148 Nos.
2014-26 (Upto May'26) 14,451 (547 Nos. in the State of West
Bengal)
As on 01.06.2026, 4,993 Nos. ROBs/RUBs works are sanctioned at a cost of
approx. 1,17,492 Cr on Indian Railways which are at various stages of
planning and execution.
Of these, 363 Nos. ROBs/ RUBs works at a cost of approx. ₹8,060 Cr are
sanctioned in the state of West Bengal including 27 Nos. ROB/RUB works at
a cost of approx. ₹428 Cr in Murshidabad district which are at various
stages of planning and execution
The work for construction of a Road Over Bridge (ROB) in lieu of LC No. 111
at Km 168/7-11 (at Beldanga) has been sanctioned. The work for
preparation of the detailed estimate has been taken up.
Page 11 of 12The work for construction of a Road Over Bridge (ROB) in lieu of LC No. 104
at Km 158/3-5 (at Rejinagar) has been sanctioned. The tender has been
awarded and the work has been taken up.
Completion & commissioning of ROB/RUB works depends on various
factors like cooperation of State Governments in giving consent for closure
of LC, fixing of approach alignment, approval of General Arrangement
Drawing (GAD), land acquisition, removal encroachment, shifting of
infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities, law and
order situation in the area of project / work sites, duration of working
season in a year for the particular project / area due to climatic conditions
etc. All these factors affect the completion time of the projects/works.
Further, Railways have taken following measures to expedite the progress
of work:
i. Joint survey with concerned State Govt./Road Owning Authority is
done before finalizing the General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) to
ensure smooth execution.
ii. Periodic meetings of Railway & State Government officials are done
to resolve various issues related to ROB/RUB works.
iii. Standardization of superstructure and substructure drawings for
various combinations of span, skewness and width of road on the
Railway portion has been done to avoid delays during the design
approval. This has been issued in the form of a compendium, which
can be directly adopted for Road Over Bridge across Railway lines for
expeditious planning.
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