Lok Sabha Question No. 2963 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-06
Subject: Utilization of Railway Land
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Arup Chakraborty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2963

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025

## UTILIZATION OF RAILWAY LAND

## 2963.   SHRI ARUP CHAKRABORTY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  steps  taken  for  the  re-development  of  vacant railway lands so as to generate a non-tariff revenue stream;
- (b) the  details  of  the  status  of  the  re-development  of  various  railway stations across the country;
- (c) whether the Government intends to launch affordable trains in the non-AC or sleeper category;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  details  of  the  steps  taken  to  free  railway  land  from  illegal
- encroachments?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e): Vacant Railway land, which is not required by Railways for its immediate  operational  needs,  is  entrusted  to  Rail  Land  Development Authority  (RLDA)  for  commercial  redevelopment.  RLDA  carries  out feasibility study of such vacant land through reputed architect, marketing and valuation consultant to assess the commercial potential

to  generate  non  tariff  revenue  for  railways.  For  commercially  viable land  parcels,  open  competitive  bids  are  invited  &  highest  bidder  is awarded  the  site  for  commercial  development.  So  far  RLDA  has awarded bids for commercial development of 19 Railway colonies, 48 commercial sites and 56 Multi Functional Complexes for generation of non tariff revenue to Railways.

Indian Railways carry out regular eviction drives to remove encroachments on railway land. Whereas soft encroachments (encroachments of temporary nature) such as hawkers and squatters are removed with the assistance of Railway Protection Force and civic authorities,  Hard  encroachments  (pucca  structures)  are  removed  in accordance with provisions  contained  in  Public  Premises  (Eviction  of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 (PPE Act, 1971), as amended from time to time. Actual eviction of unauthorized occupants is carried out with the assistance of State Government and police.

## Station Redevelopment:

Ministry  of  Railways  has  launched  Amrit  Bharat  Station  Scheme  for 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. So far, 1337 stations have been identified for development under this scheme.  Development  works  at  railway  stations  under  Amrit  Bharat Station Scheme have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, phase-I works of 105 stations has been completed.

Development/Redevelopment/Upgradation/Modernisation of stations on Indian Railways is a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per requirement, subject to inter-se priority and 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.

Development/Upgradation/Modernization  of stations including Amrit Bharat  Station  Scheme  is  generally  funded  under  Plan  Head  -  53 'Customer Amenities'. The fund allocation of ₹ 12,118 crore has been made  for  the  financial  year  2025-26  under  Plan  Head  -  53  and expenditure (up to June, 2025) of ₹ 2,612 crore has been incurred so far.

RLDA is also executing the redevelopment work of 15 stations across the  country.  Out  of  this,  work  at  one  station  (Thane)  is  in  planning stage & in progress on 14 stations.

Non A/C (General & Sleeper coaches):

IR, have significantly increased the facilities for the benefit of economically  weaker  passengers  who  demand  general/sleeper  class travel.  During  the  last  financial  year  2024-25  alone,  1250  general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains.

To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have taken up 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper) over the next 5 years.

On  IR,  the  percentage  of  non-AC  coaches  is  about  70%  as  indicated below:

Table 1: Distribution of coaches:

| Coach type                           | No. of Coaches   | Percentage   |
|--------------------------------------|------------------|--------------|
| Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper) | ~57,200          | ~70%         |
| AC coaches                           | ~25,000          | ~30%         |
| Total coaches                        | ~82,200          | 100%         |

Due to higher availability of general coaches, the number of passengers  traveling  in  general/  unreserved  coaches  has  shown  an increasing trend as shown below:

Table 2: Passengers in general/unreserved coaches:

| Year    | No. of Passengers   |
|---------|---------------------|
| 2020-21 | 99 Cr (Covid year)  |
| 2021-22 | 275 Cr (Covid year) |
| 2022-23 | 553 Cr              |
| 2023-24 | 609 Cr              |
| 2024-25 | 651 Cr              |

The number  of seats available for non-AC  passengers  has also increased over the years.  The current composition is as follows: Table 3: Distribution of seats:

| Seat Type    | No. of seats   | Percentage   |
|--------------|----------------|--------------|
| Non-AC seats | ~ 54 lakhs     | ~ 78%        |
| AC seats     | ~ 15 lakhs     | ~ 22%        |
| Total        | ~ 69 lakhs     | 100%         |

Given the above data, it is clear that Indian Railways is committed to the  low  and  middle  income  families  who  prefer  railways  as  an affordable means of transportation.

## Amrit Bharat Express:

Railways have developed a fully non-AC modern train named as Amrit Bharat  Express.  Already  14  services  are  in  operation.  The  present composition of Amrit Bharat consists of 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 01 Pantry car and 02 Luggage cum Divyangjan coaches.

High Speed and enhanced Safety standards are the hallmarks of these trains with following enhanced features and amenities:

- i. Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper.
2. ii.
3. Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers.
- iii. Improved  Crashworthiness  in  coaches  by  provision  of  crash tube.
5. iv.
6. Provision of CCTV system in all coaches and Luggage room.
7. v.
8. vi.
9. vii.
10. viii.
11. Improved designs of toilets.
12. Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth.
13. Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets.
14. Provision of EP assisted braking system.
- ix. Aerosol based fire suppression system in toilets and electrical cubicles.
16. x.
17. USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets.
- xi. Emergency  Talk  Back system for  two-way  communication between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager.
19. xii.
20. Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity.
- xiii. Fully  sealed gangways with quick release mechanism for easy
22. attachment and detachment.

Development of Amrit Bharat  Express  trains,  manufacturing  of  MEMU trains, and increasing the share of general coaches clearly shows that Indian  Railways  is  catering  effectively  to  the  demand  for  travel  in general class. Further,  to  cater  to  the  needs  of  passengers  desirous  of  availing unreserved  accommodation,  Indian  Railways  (IR)  operate  unreserved non-AC  passenger  trains/MEMU/EMU  etc.  for  affordable  travel,  which are  in  addition  to  the  unreserved  accommodation (coaches)  available in Mail/Express services. Standard Composition: To  provide  greater  accommodation  for  the  passengers  using  General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches, the extant policy regarding composition of Mail/Express trains provides for 12 (Twelve) General class & Sleeper class  non-AC  coaches  and  08  (eight)  AC-Coaches,  in  a  train  of  22 coaches.

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