**Executive Summary**
This document is an answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2957, to be answered on December 17, 2025, regarding waitlisting data for trains originating/passing through Visakhapatnam. It provides information on train occupancy patterns, the number of waitlisted passengers on high-demand routes, and details of existing and planned railway infrastructure projects. It also addresses the Government's efforts to address demand through new trains, service augmentation, and infrastructure expansion.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Train Occupancy:**
* Train occupancy patterns vary throughout the year, with lean and peak periods affecting utilization.
* Overall occupancy over Indian Railways during 2024-25 was more than 100%, with 7.5% of reserved passengers waitlisted.
* **Train Services to Visakhapatnam:**
* Visakhapatnam-Tirupati: Served by 24 pairs of trains (list provided).
* Visakhapatnam-Bengaluru: Served by 18 pairs of trains (list provided).
* Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad: Served by 21 pairs of trains (list provided).
* Visakhapatnam-Howrah: Served by 22 pairs of trains (list provided).
* Visakhapatnam-Raipur: Served by 08 pairs of trains (list provided).
* **Recent Service Augmentation:**
* Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express
* Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
* Bhubaneshwar-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
* Durg-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
* SMVT Bengaluru-Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express via Visakhapatnam
* **Factors Affecting New Train Services:**
* Capacity of the section
* Availability of path
* Availability of required rolling stock
* Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock
* Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other asset
* **Andhra Pradesh Railway Infrastructure:**
* Budget allocation has significantly increased, with ₹9,417 cr. allocated for 2025-2026.
* New track commissioning: 363 km (2009-14) and 1,582 km (2014-25).
* 39 sanctioned projects (12 New Lines and 27 Doubling) covering 4,498 km at a cost of ₹70,231 crore, with ₹28,039 crore spent up to March 2025, and 1,179 km commissioned.
* Lists of recently completed and ongoing projects are provided.
* **Factors Affecting Project Sanction and Completion:**
* Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness of the proposed route
* First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
* Connection of missing links and providing additional route
* Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
* Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives
* Railway's own operational requirements
* Socio-economic considerations
* Overall availability of funds
* Land acquisition
* Forest clearance
* Shifting of infringing utilities
* Statutory clearances from various authorities
* Geological and topographical conditions of area
* Law and order situation in the area of project site
* Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.
**Impact Analysis**
**Passengers:**
* **Impact:** Benefit from increased availability of trains and improved infrastructure, potentially reducing waitlisting and travel times.
* **Action Required:** None explicitly stated.
**Residents of Andhra Pradesh:**
* **Impact:** Benefit from increased railway infrastructure, improved connectivity, and economic development due to railway projects.
* **Action Required:** None explicitly stated.
**Ministry of Railways:**
* **Impact:** Expected to oversee and implement infrastructure projects and improve train services.
* **Action Required:** Continue to assess demand, plan new services, and execute sanctioned projects, considering the factors outlined in the document.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Railways: The government ministry responsible for India's railway transport.
Visakhapatnam: A major city in Andhra Pradesh, the focus of train route analysis.
Indian Railways: The state-owned railway company responsible for operating India's rail network.
Andhra Pradesh: The state where many railway projects are underway and mentioned for budget allocation
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the question was raised.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2957
TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025
WAIT LISTING DATA OF TRAIN ORIGINATING/PASSING THROUGH
VISAKHAPATNAM
2957. SHRI SRIBHARAT MATHUKUMILLI:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of top ten train routes originating from/passing through
Visakhapatnam, based on average monthly occupancy rates and waiting
list data during the last two years;
(b) the details of the average number of passengers waitlisted at the time
of chart preparation for high demand routes including Visakhapatnam–
Tirupati, Visakhapatnam–Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam–Hyderabad;
(c) the comparison of demand-supply gap for trains at Visakhapatnam with
other A1-category stations in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Maharashtra and Odisha; and
(d) whether the Government proposes to address this demand through
introduction of new trains, augmentation of existing services,
infrastructure capacity expansion and if so, the details thereof and the
timelines for such measures?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (d): On Indian Railways, occupancy pattern of trains is not uniform
throughout the year and it varies over lean and peak periods. During peak
rush periods, the occupancy of the trains especially on popular routesremains full whereas during lean period and on less popular routes, there
is sub optimal utilization. During 2024-25, the overall occupancy over
Indian Railways was more than 100%. During the same period, 7.5%
passengers out of the total reserved passengers remained waitlisted.
Presently, Visakhapatnam-Tirupati sector is served by 24 pairs,
Visakhapatnam - Bengaluru sector by 18 pairs and Visakhapatnam-
Hyderabad sector by 21 pairs of train services. Similarly, Visakhapatnam-
Howrah sector and Visakhapatnam-Raipur Sector are served by 22 pairs
and 08 pairs of train services respectively.
(i) Trains serving Visakhapatnam-Tirupati sector :
SN Train Number and Name
1 12253/54 Yesvantpur-Bhagalpur Anga Express
2 12659/60 Shalimar – Nagercoil Express
3 12835/36 Hatía – SMVT Bengaluru Express
4 12845/46 Bhubaneswar – SMVT Bengaluru Express
5 12863/64 Howrah – SMVT Bengaluru Express
6 12867/68 Howrah – Puducherry Express
7 12889/90 Tatanagar – SMVT Bengaluru Express
8 13433/34 Malda Town – SMVT Bengaluru Amrit Bharat Express
9 17479/80 Puri – Tirupati Express
10 17481/82 Bilaspur – Tirupati Express
11 18521/22 Visakhapatnam – Cuddapah Express
12 18567/68 Visakhapatnam – Kollam Express
13 18637/38 Hatía – SMVT Bengaluru Express
14 20889/90 Howrah – Tirupati Humsafar Express
15 22503/04 Dibrugarh – Kanyakumari Vivek Express16 22707/08 Visakhapatnam – Tirupati Weekly Express
17 22817/18 Howrah – Mysuru Express
18 22833/34 Bhubaneswar-SMVT Bengaluru Humsafar Express
19 22837/38 Hatía – Ernakulam Dharti Aaba Express
20 22851/52 Santragachi – Mangaluru Vivek Express
21 22855/56 Santragachi – Tirupati Express
22 22871/72 Bhubaneswar – Tirupati Express
23 22879/80 Bhubaneswar – Tirupati Express
24 22887/88 Howrah – SMVT Bengaluru Humsafar Express
(ii) Trains serving Visakhapatnam - Bengaluru sector:
SN Train Number and Name
1 18463/64 Bhubaneswar – KSR Bengaluru Prashanti Express
2 12845/46 Bhubaneswar – SMVT Bengaluru Express
3 22833/34 Bhubaneswar – SMVT Bengaluru Humsafar Express
4 12253/54 Bhagalpur – Yesvantpur Anga Express
5 12509/10 Guwahati – SMVT Bengaluru Express
6 18637/38 Hatía – SMVT Bengaluru Express
7 12835/36 Hatía – SMVT Bengaluru Express
8 12503/04 Agartala – SMVT Bengaluru Humsafar Express
9 22817/18 Howrah – Mysuru Express
10 22887/88 Howrah – SMVT Bengaluru Humsafar Express
11 12863/64 Howrah – SMVT Bengaluru Express
12 22305/06 Jasidih – SMVT Bengaluru Express
13 15227/28 Muzaffarpur – SMVT Bengaluru Express
14 13433/34 Malda Town – SMVT Bengaluru Amrit Bharat Express
15 22501/02 New Tinsukia – SMVT Bengaluru Express16 22883/84 Puri – Yesvantpur Garib Rath Express
17 18111/12 Tatanagar – Yesvantpur Express
18 12889/90 Tatanagar – SMVT Bengaluru Express
(iii) Trains serving Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad sector:
SN Train Number and Name
1 11019/20 CSMT-Bhubaneswar Konark Express
2 12513/14 Secunderabad-Silchar Express
3 12703/04 Howrah – Secunderabad Falaknuma Express
4 12727/28 Visakhapatnam – Hyderabad Godavari Express
5 12739/40 Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Garib Rath Express
6 12773/74 Shalimar – Secunderabad Express
7 12783/84 Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Express
8 12805/06 Visakhapatnam – Lingampalli Express
9 12861/62 Visakhapatnam – Mahbubnagar Express
10 17015/16 Bhubaneswar – Secunderabad Visakha Express
11 18045/46 Shalimar –Charlapalli East Coast Express
12 18111/12 Tatanagar – Yesvantpur Express
13 18503/04 Visakhapatnam – Sainagar Shirdi Express
14 18519/20 Visakhapatnam – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express
15 20708/09 Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Express
16 20809/10 Sambalpur – Hazur Sahib Nanded Express
17 20811/12 Visakhapatnam – Hazur Sahib Nanded Express
18 20833/34 Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express
19 22203/04 Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Duronto Express
20 22849/50 Shalimar – Secunderabad Express
21 22882/81 Bhubaneswar – Pune Express(iv) Trains serving Visakhapatnam-Howrah sector:
SN Train Number and Name
1 22851/52 Mangaluru - Santragachi Vivek Express
2 12703/04 Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma Express
3 20889/90 Tirupati-Howrah Humsafar Express
4 22887/88 SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Humsafar Express
5 12863/64 SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Express
6 12839/40 MGR Chennai Central-Howrah Mail
7 18047/48 Vasco-da-Gama-Shalimar Amaravati Express
8 22855/56 Tirupati-Santragachi Suf Express
9 12867/68 Puducherry-Howrah Express
10 12663/64 Tiruchchirappalli-Howrah Express
11 22825/26 MGR Chennai Central-Shalimar Express
12 12665/66 Kanniyakumari-Howrah Express
13 22853/54 Visakhapatnam-Shalimar Express
14 12773/74 Secunderabad-Shalimar Express
15 22849/50 Secunderabad- Shalimar Express
16 12841/42 MGR Chennai Central-Howrah Coromondel Express
17 22817/18 Mysuru-Howrah Express
18 22841/42 Tambaram- Santragachi Antyodaya Express
19 22807/08 MGR Chennai Central- Santragachi Express
20 18045/46 Charlapalli-Shalimar East Coast Express
21 12659/60 Nagercoil-Shalimar Express
22 22641/42 Thiruvananthapuram Central (Trivandrum)-Shalimar
Express(v) Trains serving Visakhapatnam-Raipur Sector:
SN Train Number and Name
1. 58527/28 Raipur – Visakhapatnam Passenger
2 17481/82 Bilaspur – Tirupati Express
3 12807/08 Visakhapatnam – Hazrat Nizamuddin Samata Express
4 18573/74 Visakhapatnam – Bhagat Ki Kothi Express
5 18517/18 Korba – Visakhapatnam Express
6 22847/48 Visakhapatnam – Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express
7 20829/30 Durg –Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
8 18529/30 Durg –Visakhapatnam Express
Further, to cater inter alia to the needs of Visakhapatnam the
following services have been provided during last 3 years:
SN Train Number and Name
1 20833/20834 Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express
2 20707/20708 Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
3 20841/20842 Bhubaneshwar-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
4 20829/20830 Durg-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express
5 13433/13434 SMVT Bengaluru-Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express via
Visakhapatnam
Besides, introduction of new train services on any route/section
and/or augmentation of train services, which is an on-going process,
depends on various factors which include:
• Capacity of that section• Availability of path
• Availability of required rolling stock
• Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock
• Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other asset
ANDHRA PRADESH:
Budget allocation in the recent years has increased significantly.
Budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works, falling
fully/partly in the State of Andhra Pradesh is as under:
PERIOD OUTLAY
2009-2014 ₹886 cr/year (including Telangana)
2025-2026 ₹9,417 cr.
The details of commissioning/laying of new track falling fully/partly in
the State of Andhra Pradesh during 2009-14 and 2014-25 is as under:
New Track Average Commissioning of new
Period
Commissioned tracks
2009-14 363 km -
2014-25 1,582 km More than 4 times
As on 01.04.2025, 39 projects (12 New Lines and 27 Doubling), covering
total length of 4,498 km length, costing ₹70,231 crore, falling fully/partly in
Andhra Pradesh, have been sanctioned, out of which 1,179 km length has
been commissioned and an expenditure of ₹28,039 crore has been incurred
upto March 2025. The status of the work is summarized as:N o. of Total Length Balance to Exp upto
Plan projects Length Commissione complete March 2025
Head (km) d (Km) (km) (₹. in cr.)
New 12 1595 199 1395 6413
Line
Double 27 2904 979 1925 21626
Line
TOTAL 39 4,498 1,179 3,320 28,039
Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly
in the State of Andhra Pradesh are as under:
S.No. Name of Project Cost
(cr.)
1 Vijaywada-Gudivada-Bhimavaram-Narsapur, 4,688
Gudivada-Machlipatnam&Bhimavaram-Nidadavolu
doubling (221 km)
2 Guntur-Tenali doubling (24 km) 205
3 Nandyal-Yerraguntla new line (126 km) 1,050
Jaggayyapeta-Mellacheruvu-Janpahad new line
4 737
(48 km)
5 Obulavaripalle-Krishnapattnam new line (113 km) 2,300
6 Vizianagaram-Kottavalsa 3rd Line (35 km) 285
7 Raichur-Guntakal doubling (81 km) 388
8 Guntakal-Kalluru doubling (41 km) 410
9 Yelahanka-Penukonda doubling (123 km) 1,104
10 Gooty-Dharmavaram doubling (90 km) 1,800Some of the projects falling fully/partly in the State of Andhra
Pradesh which have been taken up are as under:
S.N Name of Project Cost
(Cr)
1 Kotipalli-Narsapur new line (57 Km) 2,120
2 Nadikude-Srikalahasti new line (309 Km) 3,122
3 Rayadurg-Kalyandurg-Tumkur new line (207 2,496
Km)
4 Marikuppam-Kuppam new line (24 Km) 297
5 Malugur–Palasamudram new line (18 Km) 342
6 Malkangiri- Bhadrachalam – 3,592
Pandurangapuram new line (174 Km)
7 Errupalem-Amravati-Namburu new line (57 2,047
Km)
8 Kottavalasa-Koraput Doubling (189 Km) 2,500
9 Vijaywada- Gudur 3rd line (287 Km) 6,509
10 Guntakal- Guntur Doubling (401 Km) 4,306
11 Pennukonda-Dharmavarm Doubling (42 Km) 308
12 Gooty-Pendekallu Doubling (29 Km) 352
13 Duvvada - Simhachalam North 3rd & 4th line 356
(21 Km)
14 Kottavalasa - Vizianagram 4th line (35 Km) 493
15 Gudur - Renigunta 3rd Line (83 Km) 877
16 Nergundi - Palasa- Vizianagaram 3rd line (385 4,963
Km)
In last three Years i.e. 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and current
financial year 2025-26, 64 surveys (15 New Line, 49 Doubling) covering atotal length of 6,967 km has been taken up falling fully/partly in the State
of Andhra Pradesh.
Sanction of any railway project depend upon many parameters/factors
which include the following:
Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness of the proposed
route
First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
Connection of missing links and providing additional route
Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public
representatives
Railway’s own operational requirements
Socio-economic considerations
Overall availability of funds
Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which
include the following:
Land acquisition
Forest clearance
Shifting of infringing utilities
Statutory clearances from various authorities
Geological and topographical conditions of area
Law and order situation in the area of project site
Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.
All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s.
****