Lok Sabha Question No. 1610 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-04
Subject: New or Upgraded Passenger Services in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Selvam G

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1610 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.12.2024

## NEW OR UPGRADED PASSENGER SERVICES IN TAMIL NADU

1610. SHRI SELVAM G:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  any  new  or  upgraded  passenger  services  introduced  by Railways in Tamil Nadu during the last year;
- (b) the details of additional trains or increased service frequencies introduced  to  meet  the  demand  in  the  said  State  especially  in  high-traffic routes;
- (c)  the  details  of  improvements  made  to  passenger  amenities  at  major railway stations in the said State as part of the modernization initiative;
- (d) the facilities introduced to improve accessibility for differently-abled and elderly passengers at the railway stations in the said State;
- (e)  whether  there  are  any  plans  to  introduce  escalators,  lifts,  and  special assistance  services  at  all  major  railway  stations  in  the  State,  if  so,  the details thereof; and
- (f)  the  other  future  projects  aimed at further improving passenger services and facilities in the said State?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (f)  A Statement is laid on the table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (f) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1610 BY SHRI SELVAM G TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 04.12.2024 REGARDING NEW OR UPGRADED PASSENGER SERVICES IN TAMIL NADU

(a)  to  (f)  To  cater  to  the  needs of passengers and as a part of the greater objective  to  provide  better  travel  experience  and  improved  Safety,  136 Vande  Bharat  services  have  been  introduced  on  the  Indian  Railways(IR) network,  which    includes  16  Vande  Bharat  trains  serving  various  stations located in the State of Tamil Nadu. During 2023-2024, IR, on originating/terminating basis, have introduced 22 new train services(including  10  Vande  Bharat  train  services),  extended  14  train services  and  increased  the  frequency  of  6  train  services  catering  the stations located in the State of Tamil Nadu. Besides, introduction/extension/increase in frequency of train services is an on-going process  on  Indian  Railways,  subject  to  traffic  justification,  operational feasibility, availability of resources, etc.  However, as the Railway network straddles  across  State  boundaries  trains  are  introduced,  as  per  network requirement, across such boundaries.

The provision/upgradation of railway stations, including  stations located  in Tamil Nadu, and provision of amenities for passengers including Divyangjans and elderly passengers, is a continuous and on-going process and works in this  regard  are  undertaken  as  per  requirement,  subject  to  inter-se  priority and  availability  of  funds.  At  present,  Ministry  of  Railways  has  launched 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme' for development of Railway 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 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 centres at the station in the long term.

So  far  1337  stations  have  been  identified  under  the  Amrit  Bharat  Station Scheme, out of which 77 stations are located in the State of Tamil Nadu. The names  of  stations  identified  for  development  under  Amrit  Bharat  Station Scheme in the State of Tamil Nadu are as following:

| State      |   No. of Stations | Name of Stations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
|------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Tamil Nadu |                77 | Ambasamudram, Ambattur, Arakkonam Jn, Ariyalur, Avadi, Bommidi, Chengalpattu Jn, Chennai Beach, Chennai Egmore, Chennai Park, Chidambaram, Chinna Salem, Chrompet, Coimbatore Jn, Coimbatore North, Coonoor, Dharmapuri, Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central, Erode Jn., Guduvancheri, Guindy, Gummidipundi, Hosur, Jolarpettai Jn, Kanniyakumari, Karaikkudi, Karur Jn., Katpadi, Kovilpatti, Kulitturai, Kumbakonam, Lalgudi, Madurai Jn, Mambalam, Manaparai, Mannargudi, Mayiladuturai Jn., Mettupalayam, Morappur, Nagercoil Jn., Namakkal, Palani, Paramakkudi, Perambur, Podanur Jn., Pollachi, Polur, Pudukkottai, Rajapalayam, Ramanathapuram, Rameswaram, Salem, Samalpatti, Sholavandan, Srirangam, Srivilliputtur, St.Thomas Mount, Tambaram, Tenkasi, Thanjavur Jn, Thiruvarur Jn., Tiruchendur, Tirunelveli Jn, Tirupadripulyur, Tirupattur, Tiruppur, Tirusulam, Tiruttani, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Udagamandalam, Vellore Cantt., Villupuram Jn., Virudhunagar, Vriddhachalam Jn., Dindigul, Tuticorin. |

The  details  of  allocation  of  funds  for  development  and  maintenance  of stations  are  maintained  Zonal  Railway-wise  under  Plan  Head-53  'Customer Amenities'. The state of Tamil Nadu is covered by two zones viz. Southern Railway  and  South  Western  Railway.  The  allocation  for  the  financial  year 2024-25 for these zones is ₹ 2344.46 Crores.

To  facilitate  easy  movement  of  elderly,  sick  passengers  and  for  smooth access to platforms, escalators are provided at Railway stations across the Indian  Railways  (IR).  Further,  as  part  of  'Sugamya  Bharat  Abhiyaan'  for differently  abled  passengers,  lifts  at  railway  stations  are  being  provided depending  upon  relative  priority  of  various  stations  and  the  availability  of resources and feasibility for provision of lifts.

Accordingly, so far 185 lifts at 83 stations and 96 escalators at 30 railway stations have been provided in the State of Tamil Nadu. In addition to this, 37 escalators and 107 lifts have also been further sanctioned in the State of Tamil Nadu.

Railway Infrastructure Projects falling fully/partly in the State of Tamil Nadu are covered under Southern Railway (SR), South Central Railway (SCR) and South Western Railway (SWR) zone of Indian Railways. Zone-wise details of Railway projects including cost, expenditure and outlay are made available in public domain.

As on 01.04.2024, 22 projects (10 new lines, 03 Gauge conversions and 09 Doubling)  of  total  length  of  2,587  Km,  costing  ₹  33,467  crore,  falling fully/partly in the State of Tamil Nadu are in planning/approval/construction stage,  out  of  which  665  Km  length  has  been  commissioned  and  an expenditure  of  ₹  7,153  crore  has  been  incurred  upto  March,  2024.  The summary is as under:-

| Category                |   No. of projects | Total Length (in Km)   |   Length Commissioned (in Km) | Expenditure upto March 2024 (₹ in Cr.)   |
|-------------------------|-------------------|------------------------|-------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| New line                |                10 | 872                    |                            24 | 1,223                                    |
| Gauge Conversion        |                03 | 748                    |                           604 | 3,267                                    |
| Doubling/ Multitracking |                09 | 967                    |                            37 | 2,664                                    |
| Total                   |                22 | 2,587                  |                           665 | 7,153                                    |

Budget  allocation  for  Infrastructure projects  and  safety  works,  falling fully/partly in Tamil Nadu is as under:

| Period   | Outlay                            |
|----------|-----------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | ₹ 879 crore/year                  |
| 2024-25  | ₹ 6,362 crore (more than 7 times) |

Railway acquires the land through State Government and the completion of a railway  projects  is  dependent  of  land  acquisition.    However,  Execution  of important  infrastructure  projects  falling  fully/partly  in  the  State  of  Tamil Nadu are held up due to delay in land acquisition. Status of land acquisition in Tamil Nadu is as under:

| Total Land required for Projects in Tamil Nadu   | 3389 Ha       |
|--------------------------------------------------|---------------|
| Land Acquired                                    | 866 Ha (26%)  |
| Balance Land to be acquired                      | 2523 Ha (74%) |

Government  of  India  is  geared  up  to  execute  projects,  however  success depends upon the support of Government of Tamil Nadu.

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