Parliament Question: Railways' priorities for operational efficiency and safety

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1707 ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026 RAILWAYS' PRIORITIES FOR OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND SAFETY 1707 SMT. PRIYANKA CHATURVEDI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether a Government panel recommended staggering station revamp projects to prioritise rail corridor funding for freight capacity, speed enhancement;

(b) total allocation for station beautification over the past three years versus dedicated freight corridor, high-speed rail and safety infrastructure investments;

(c) whether station revamps – cosmetic upgrades benefiting a few urban centres – are receiving disproportionate funding while critical safety, connectivity and electrification projects face resource constraints; and

(d) measures for implementing the panel's recommendation for reallocating resources from aesthetics to operational efficiency, safety and capacity expansion? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (d) Ministry of Railways envisages development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations on Indian Railways as a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per requirement, subject to inter-se priority, category of station/condition/traffic handled and availability of funds etc.

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 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, 1337 stations have been identified for development under this scheme which are well distributed across the country. Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 172 stations have been completed. Names of these stations are as following:

Alnavar, Amb Andaura, Ambikapur, Amgaon, Anandpur Sahib, Anara, Ayodhya Dham, Badami, Bagalkot, Baijnath Paprola, Balrampur, Bantawala, Barabhum, Baramati, Bareilly City, Baripada, Barmer, Barpali, Begumpet, Beohari, Bhanupratappur, Bhilai, Bhind, Bijnor, Bimalgarh, Bommidi, Bundi, Chanda Fort, Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chennai Park, Chidambaram, Chinchpokli, Chinna Salem, Chirayinkeezh, Cuttack, Dakor, Derol, Deshnoke, Devlali, Dharwad, Dhule, Dongargarh, Fatehabad, Fatehpur, Fatehpur Shekhawati, Gadag, Gangapur City, Godda, Godhra Jn., Gogameri, Gokak Road, Gola Gokarnath, Gomti Nagar, Govardhan, Govind Garh, Govindpuri, Govindpur Road, Hafizpeta, Haibargaon, Haldia, Hapa, Harpalpur, Hathras City, Hodal, Idgah Agra Jn., Izzatnagar, Jaisalmer, Jam Jodhpur, Jam Wanthali, Joychandi Pahar, Junnor Deo, Kakinada Town, Kalyani Ghoshpara, Kamakhyaguri, Kanalus Jn., Karaikkudi Jn., Karamsad, Karimnagar, Katni South, Kedgaon, Khairthal, Khambhaliya, Khalilabad, Koppal, Kosamba Jn., Kulitturai, Kuttipuram, Lasalgaon, Limbdi, Lohardaga, Lonand Jn., Mahe, Mahuva, Mailani, Mandal Garh, Mandawar Mahwa Road, Madhupur, Manaparai, Mandi Dabwali, Mangalagiri, Mannargudi, Matunga, M.C.S. Chhatarpur, Mithapur, Morappur, Morbi, Muktsar, Munirabad, Muri Jn., Murtizapur Jn., Nainpur Jn., Nandura, Narmadapuram, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari Junction, Okha, Orchha, Palitana, Panagarh, Panki Dham, Parel, Parlakhemundi, Pirpainti, Piska, Pokhrayan, Pollachi Jn., Polur, Porbandar, Rajgarh, Rajmahal, Rajula Jn., Ramghat Halt, Rayanpadu, Saharanpur Jn., Sahibzada Ajit Singh Mohali, Sahebgunj, Samakhiyali, Samalpatti, Sanchi, Sankarpur, Savda, Seoni, Shahad, Shajapur, Sholavandan, Shoranur Jn., Shridham, Siddharth Nagar, Sihor Jn., Siuri, Sri Bala Brahmeswara Jogulamba, Srirangam, Srivilliputtur, St.Thomas Mount, Sullurpeta, Suraimanpur, Swaminarayan §Chappia, Talcher, Tamluk, Thawe, Thiruvarur Jn., Tiruvannamalai, Tuni, Ujhani, Urkura, Utran, Vadakara, Vadala Road, Vidisha, Vriddhachalam Jn., Wadakancheri, Warangal.

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:  Bhubaneshwar station: The structural work of the West side and East side Station building, structural work of air concourse, construction of sewage treatment plant and underground sump tank have been completed. The works of elevated driveway, extension of foot over bridge, platform refurbishment, lifts, escalators and finishing works have been taken up.

 New Bhuj station: The structural work of the new main side station building and second entry station building, new porch structure, and air concourse have been completed. The works of finishing of station buildings on the main and second entry side, construction of foot over bridges, through roof, platform refurbishment, and underground water tank, external development has been taken up.

 Ahmedabad station: The structural work of parcel building has been completed. The works of construction of south side Multi Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) building, construction of air concourse, new foot over bridge, elevated road, ballast less track work and platform upgradation have been taken up.

 Puri Station: The structural work of the new station building has been completed.

The works of development of the circulating area and finishing works of the new station building have been taken up.  Gandhi Nagar Jaipur station: The structural works of new station building on both sides and basement structure, air concourse and through roof have been completed.

The works of roofing over the air concourse, platform refurbishment and finishing of station building have been taken up.  Kota station: The structural works of the front departure hall, front arrival hall, rear side station building have been completed. The works of finishing of new station building, construction of air concourse, through roof work, platform refurbishment and circulating area development have been taken up.

 Chandigarh station: The construction of new station building on both sides, structural work of air concourse and foot over bridge over the track, parking area, bus stand have been completed. The works of platform surfacing, through roof, platform shelters, approach road and finishing works have been taken up.

§ Tirupati station: The structural works of the new second entry (south side) station building and air concourse have been completed. The structural works of the new main entry (north side) station building, finishing works at south side station building, air concourse, platform shelters, lift, escalators have been taken up.

 Nellore station: The structural works of station buildings on both sides and air concourse have been completed. The works of subway extension, construction of sewage treatment plants, overhead water tank and finishing works of station buildings and air concourse have been taken up.

Further, 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 out in close proximity of tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the 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 work-wise, or station wise or state-wise. For the last two years and the current year, ₹ 34,733 crore has been allocated while an expenditure of ₹30,815 crore has been incurred during the last two years and current year (up to December, 2025).

Safety Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways. As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years, 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 (upto 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×million kilometres run 234 165 135 55 31 12 2005-06 2009-10 2014-15 2019-20 2024-25 2025-26 (upto Jan)

The 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 (₹ 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. § stnediccA niarT laitneuqesnoC fo .oN4. 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 60kg, 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 every coach 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:

2004-05 to 2014-15 to 2014-25 vs.

S.No. Item 2013-14 2024-25 2004-14 Technological Improvements Use of high-quality rails More than 2

1. 57,450 Km 1.43 Lakh Km (60 Kg) (Km) times Longer Rail Panels

2. 9,917 Km 77,522 Km Nearly 8 times

(260m) (Km) Electronic Interlocking More than 4

3. (Stations) 837 Stations 3,691 Stations times §2004-05 to 2014-15 to 2014-25 vs.

S.No. Item 2013-14 2024-25 2004-14 As on Fog Pass Safety Devices As on 31.03.2025:

4. 31.03.2014: 288 times (Nos.) 25,939 Nos.

90 Nos.

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

Better Maintenance Practices Primary Rail Renewal

1. 32,260 Km 49,941 Km 1.5 times (Track Km) USFD (Ultra Sonic Flaw More than 2

2. detection) Testing of Welds 79.43 Lakh 2 Crore times (Nos.) In 2013-14: In 2024-25:

3. Weld failures (Nos.) 90 % reduction 3699 Nos. 370 Nos.

In 2013-14: In 2024-25: More than 88%

4. Rail fractures (Nos.) 2548 Nos. 289 Nos. reduction Better Infrastructure and Rolling Stock New Track KM added More than 2

1. 14,985 Km 34,428 Km (Track Km) times Flyovers More than 3

2. (RoBs)/Underpasses 4,148 Nos. 13,808 Nos. times

(RUBs) (Nos.) As on As on Unmanned Level crossings 31.03.2024:Nil

3. 31.03.2014: Removed (Nos.) on BG (All eliminated by 8,948

31.01.19) Manufacture of LHB More than 18

4. 2,337 Nos. 42,677 Coaches (Nos.) times Electrification Electrification of railway network on Indian Railways has been taken up in mission mode. So far, about 99.4% of Broad Gauge (BG) network has been electrified. The electrification in remaining network has been taken up. Electrification carried out during 2014-25 and before 2014 is as under:

Period Route Kilometer Before 2014 (about 60 years) 21,801 2014-25 46,900 Budget allocation for railway electrification has been significantly increased from ₹ 5,545 crore in 2004-14 to ₹ 59,594 crore in 2014-25.

§Capacity Augmentation of Rail Network Capacity enhancement of railway network has been taken up by Indian Railways in a big way during last 11 years. The details of commissioning/laying of new track across Indian

Railways is given below:

New track Period Average commissioning of new track Commissioned 2009-14 7,599 Km 4.2 Km/day 2014-25 34,428 Km 8.6 Km/day (more than 2 times) As on 01.04.2025, across Indian Railways, 431 Railway infrastructure projects (154 new line, 33 gauge conversion and 244 doubling) of total length 35,966 Km, costing approx. ₹6.75 lakh crore are sanctioned. The summary is as under:

Length Total Exp Total Length Commissioned upto March Category No. of projects NL/GC/DL till March, 2025 2025 (₹ in

(km)

(Km) Crore) New Lines 154 16,142 3,036 1,45,318 Gauge 33 4,180 2,997 22,753 Conversion Doubling/ 244 15,644 6,736 1,22,858 Multitracking Total 431 35,966 12,769 2,90,929 Funding for Infrastructure works Gross Budgetary support has increased from mere ₹ 29,055 crore in 2013-14 to ₹ 2,52,200 crore in 2025-26. This has resulted in significant expansion of railway network, Dedicated Freight Corridor, High Speed Rail project, electrification and safety related works during last 11 years.

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