Lok Sabha Question No. 4431 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-20
Subject: Status of Chengannur Railway Station Redevelopment under ABSS
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Kodikunnil Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4431 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.08.2025

## STATUS OF CHENGANNUR RAILWAY STATION REDEVELOPMENT UNDER ABSS

## 4431.  SHRI  KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the current status of the Chengannur railway station redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme;
- (b) whether tenders have been issued and physical works begun under the said scheme and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  the  total  fund  sanctioned  for  the  said  project  and  the  roles  of Central,  State  and  Railway  authorities  in  funding  and  executing  the works;
- (d)  the  planned  scope  of  works  under  Phase-I  and  Phase-II  such  as terminal  building  upgrades,  pilgrim  centre,  lifts,  escalators,  skywalk, STP, parking and other passenger amenities along with their estimated timelines;
- (e)  the  status  of  connectivity  improvements  (road,  pedestrian,  lastmile) to the station; and
- (f) the expected completion dates for each phase along with the total project outlay?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (f): Chengannur   railway station    have  been   identified  for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The redevelopment work of Chengannur railway station has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 98.46 crores by Ministry of Railways.

The master plan of the Chengannur railway station envisages construction of new terminal building, pilgrim shelter, foot over bridge, 12 m wide roof plaza, platform upgradation including platform shelter, improvement to circulating area and parking space etc. The tendering process for the redevelopment of Chengannur railway station has been taken up.

In  recent  years,  improvements  to  pay  and  use  toilets  in  circulating area, improvements to AC waiting hall as well as retiring rooms and replacement of damaged platform shelter roofing have been executed at Chengannur railway station.

35 stations have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station  Scheme  in  the  State  of  Kerala.  List  of  the  stations  is  given below:

| State   |   No. of Amrit Stations | Names of Amrit Stations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|---------|-------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Kerala  |                      35 | Alappuzha , Angadippuram, Angamali For Kaladi, Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chengannur, Chirayinkeezh, Ernakulam, Ernakulam Town, Ettumanur, Ferok, Guruvayur , Kannur, Kasargod, Kayankulam Jn, Kollam Jn, Kozhikode, Kuttippuram, Mavelikara, Neyyattinkara , Nilambur Road, Ottappalam, Parappanangadi, Payyanur, Punalur, Shoranur Jn., Thalassery, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Thrisur, Tirur, Tiruvalla, Tripunithura, Vadakara, VarkalaShivagiri, Wadakancheri |

Presently Phase-I work of 2 stations viz. Chirayinkeezh and Vadakara, have been completed. The Amrit Bharat Station scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term approach. It involves preparation  of  master  plans  and  their  implementation  in  phases  to improve  the  amenities  at  the  stations  like  improvement  of  station access,  circulating  areas,  waiting  halls,  toilets,  lift/escalators  as necessary,  platform  surfacing  and  cover  over  platform,  cleanliness, free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products through schemes like 'One Station One Product', better passenger information systems, executive lounges,  nominated  spaces  for  business  meetings,  landscaping,  etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station. The scheme also envisages improvement of building, integrating the station with both sides of the city, multimodal integration, amenities for Divyangjans, 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. Development  /  upgradation  of  stations  including  under  Amrit  Bharat Station  Scheme  is  generally  funded  under  Plan  Head-53  'Customer Amenities'. The details of allocation under Plan Head-53 are maintained  Zonal  Railway-wise  and  not  work-wise  or  station-wise  or State-wise. Chengannur railway station falls under the jurisdiction of Southern  Railway  for  which  a  total  allocation  of  Rs  1122  crores (Budget Estimate) has been made for the financial year 2025-26 under Plan Head-53. a are and

Development/upgradation of stations on Indian Railways is continuous and ongoing process and works  in this regard undertaken  as per requirement, subject to inter-se priority availability  of  funds.  The  priority  for  development/redevelopment/

upgradation/modernisation of stations is accorded to higher category of station over lower category of station while sanctioning and executing the works.

Further,  development/redevelopment/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  brown  field  related  challenges  such  as  shifting  of  utilities, (involving  water/sewage  lines,  optical  fiber  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  high  voltage  power  lines  etc.  and these factors affect the completion time. Therefore, no time frame can be indicated at this stage.

The phasing of the station redevelopment project depends on several factors  like  requirement,  level  of  existing  infrastructure,  changes  in station  footfall,  development  of  adjoining  areas  and  their  interaction with the  station,  changes  in  complementary  mode  of  transport, availability of funds, inter-se priority etc. This is a gradually evolving process depending upon a numbers of variables and no time frame can be indicated at this stage for the same.

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