Lok Sabha Question No. 2680 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: World Class Railway Station in Samastipur Division
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Gopal Jee Thakur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2680 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## WORLD CLASS RAILWAY STATION IN SAMASTIPUR DIVISION

†2680 SHRI GOPAL JEE THAKUR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  Darbhanga  Railway  station  is  being developing  as  a  world  class  railway  station  as  well  as  the  highest revenue generating railway station in Samastipur division;
- (b) whether there is shortage of superfast trains covering long distances from  this  station  due  to  which  people  of  this  region  face  lot  of difficulties;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  run  Amrit  Bharat  train  from Darbhanga to Mumbai and from Darbhanga to Amritsar on daily basis;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether operating of these trains will be beneficial for the common people?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2680 BY SHRI GOPAL JEE THAKUR TO BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  07.08.2024  REGARDING  WORLD CLASS RAILWAY STATION IN SAMASTIPUR DIVISION.

(a)  to  (e):  Ministry  of  Railways  has  launched  'Amrit  Bharat  Station scheme' for development of Stations on Indian Railways. This 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, 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 such 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  ballast  less  tracks,  etc.  as  per  necessity,  phasing  and feasibility and creation of city centres at the station in the long term. Creation of city centres implies increase in revenues.

So far, 1324 number of railway stations have been identified across India  for  development  under  this  scheme,  out  of  which  92  railway stations  falling  in  the  state  of  Bihar  including  Darbhanga  railway station have also been identified under this scheme.

Redevelopment work of Darbhanga Railway Station has been sanctioned, tenders have been awarded and work has started. Utility shifting  work  for  construction  of  light  road  over  bridge  has  been completed. Site preparations and design works have been taken up. Further, construction of new platform on second entry side has been taken up.

Further, upgradation/modernisation 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, encroachments, 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 .

From Darbhanga, the first Amrit Bharat service viz. 15557/58 Darbhanga - Anand Vihar (T) Express, commenced its operation w.e.f. 01.01.2024. Further, Darbhanga is presently being served by 52 pairs of  train  services  which  include  04  pairs  of  trains  connecting  it  to Delhi,  08  pairs  of  train  services  each  connecting  it  to  Kolkata  & Patna, 03 pairs of train services connecting it to Amritsar, 02 pairs of train services each  connecting  it  to  Mumbai,  Secunderabad  & Ahmedabad.  Besides,  introduction  of  train  services  including  Amrit Bharat  trains  is  an  ongoing  process  on  Indian  Railways  subject  to traffic  justification,  operational  feasibility,  availability  of  resources etc.

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