The Railways Ministry has completed redevelopment works at 172 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, said Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw. The scheme aims at long-term, phased redevelopment of stations with a focus on passenger amenities, sustainability and urban integration.
Under the scheme, 1,337 stations have been identified for redevelopment across the country. The master plans include improved station access, better waiting halls and toilets, lifts and escalators, wider foot overbridges, platform upgrades, facilities for Divyangjans, multimodal connectivity, passenger information systems, parking, executive lounges and kiosks for local products under initiatives such as ‘One Station One Product’. The scheme also promotes eco-friendly solutions and envisions stations as future city centres.
Highlighting railway safety measures, Vaishnaw said in a written reply to Lok Sabha, Indian Railways accords the highest priority to the safety of bridges. All railway bridges are inspected twice every year – once before the monsoon and once after. Depending on their condition, certain bridges are inspected more frequently as decided by the Chief Bridge Engineer.
During 2022–25 (up to December 2025), a total of 8,626 railway bridges were repaired, rehabilitated, strengthened or rebuilt. Major bridges undergo comprehensive technical inspections, with 20 per cent of them covered annually. Special technical audits are also carried out, and inspections of road under bridges and subways are conducted before and after the monsoon to prevent waterlogging.
The minister also highlighted the significant expansion in the production of modern LHB coaches, which are safer and technologically superior to older ICF coaches. Between 2004-14, Indian Railways manufactured 2,337 LHB coaches, while production surged to 42,677 coaches during 2014-25 – an increase of over 18 times.
India currently has three operational coach manufacturing units -Integral Coach Factory, Chennai; Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala; and Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli. The Raebareli unit was set up at a cost of ₹3,042.83 crore, while ₹2,443 crore has been sanctioned for the upgradation and augmentation of all three units.
As part of passenger facility augmentation, Indian Railways has allotted 11,650 stalls and units at stations through e-auction and e-tendering, including to eligible applicants from SC and ST communities. There is no provision for free allocation of stalls under the existing policy.
On cleanliness, Vaishnaw said Indian Railways has dedicated budgetary provisions to maintain hygiene at stations and in trains, and no part of passenger fare is charged for cleanliness services. Measures include mechanised coach cleaning, onboard housekeeping services, Clean Train Station services, and installation of bio-toilets in all passenger coaches. Since 2014, over 3.61 lakh coaches have been fitted with bio-toilets.
Indian Railways serves around 58 crore meals annually, with complaints averaging only 0.0008 per cent. Over the past three years, fines amounting to ₹2.6 crore have been imposed following inquiries into catering-related complaints.
To curb overcharging and improve transparency, Railways have introduced POS machines, SMS alerts with menu and tariff links, e-pantry services, QR-enabled identity cards for catering staff, rate stickers on food items, and regular inspection drives. Passenger grievances are addressed through the RailMadad and RailOne platforms, providing a single-window complaint redressal system.
