Lok Sabha Question No. 909 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Development of Railway Stations in Mavelikkara Lok Sabha Constituency
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Kodikunnil Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 909 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## DEVELOPMENT OF RAILWAY STATIONS IN MAVELIKKARA LOK SABHA CONSTITUENCY

## 909. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  development  works  undertaken  by  the  Government  at Railway Stations falling under the Mavelikkara Lok Sabha Constituency;
- (b) the details of works completed, ongoing, under tender stage, approved and proposed during the last three years, station-wise;
- (c) the estimated cost and source of funding for each work and the stage of implementation thereof;
- (d)  the  timeline  for  completion  of  ongoing  and  approved  works,  stationwise; and
- (e) the measures taken/being taken by the Government to expedite pending works and ensure timely completion of station development projects in the said constituency?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e) Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations. So far, 1337 stations have been identified for  development  under  Amrit  Bharat  Station  Scheme,  out  of  which  35 stations  are  located  in  Kerala  including  Mavelikara,  Changanassery  and Chengannur stations in Mavelikara Lok Sabha Constituency. The name of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Kerala are as following:

| State   |   No. of Stations | Name of 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, Varkala Shivagiri, Wadakancheri |

Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in the state of Kerala have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 07 stations (Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chirayinkeezh, Kuttippuram, Shoranur  Jn.,  Vadakara,  Wadakancheri)  in  the  state  of  Kerala  have  been completed under this scheme.

The  works  at  other  stations  have  also  been  taken  up  at  good  pace  and progress of some of above stations is as given below:

At Mavelikara Station, the works for provision of platform shelter, improvement  to  circulating  area,  parking  area,  improvement  to  station approach  road,  improvement  to  concourse  and  platform  no.1  have  been completed. The works of construction new porch, entrance arch, improvement to station building and provision of Divyangjan facilities have been taken up.

At Chengannur station, the process for redevelopment work has been taken up  by  Southern  Railway  at  a  sanctioned  cost  of  Rs.  98.46  crores.  The redevelopment of 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.

At Changanassery station, the works for improvement of station building, platform  surface,  provision  of  entrance  arch,  improvement  of  circulating area, parking area, provision of divyangjan facilities have been completed.

Amrit Bharat Station scheme involves preparation of master plans and their  implementation  in  phases  to  improve  the  stations.  The  master planning keeping in view the necessity at each station includes:

-  Improvement of access to station and circulating areas
-  Integration of station with both sides of city
-  Improvement of station building
-  Improvement of waiting halls, toilets, sitting arrangement, water booths
-  Provision  of  wider  foot  over  bridge/air  concourse  commensurate with passenger traffic
-  Provision of lift/escalators/ramp
-  Improvement  /Provision of platform surface and cover over platforms
-  Provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like 'One

Station One Product'

-  Parking areas, Multimodal integration
-  Amenities for Divyangjans
-  Better passenger information systems
-  Provision  of  executive  lounges,  nominated  spaces  for  business meetings, landscaping, etc.

The  scheme  also  envisages  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  /  Modernization  of  stations  including  under Amrit  Bharat  Station  Scheme  is  generally  funded  under  Plan  Head-53 'Customer Amenities'. The details of allocation and utilization of funds for development  and  maintenance  of  stations  are  maintained  Zonal  Railwaywise and not Parliament Constituency or Station-wise. Passenger amenities are generally funded under Plan Head-53 'Customer Amenities'.The state of Kerala  is  covered  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Southern  Railway  and  for  this zone, an allocation of ₹ 1125 crore (Revised Estimate) has been made for the financial year 2025-26.

Development / Upgradation 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  of  railway  stations  is  complex  in  nature involving  safety  of  passengers  &  trains  and  requires  various  statutory clearances such as fire clearance, heritage, tree cutting, air-port clearance etc. The progress also gets affected due to brownfield related challenges such  as  shifting  of  utilities  (involving  water/sewage  lines,  optical  fibre 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 tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the completion time.

Indian Railways has a well established mechanism to monitor implementation  of  projects  including  their  reviews,  inspection,  check  for quality  of  works  and  audits.  Works  are  carried  out  adhering  to  the standards  and  specifications  laid  down  in  various  codes  and  manuals. Inspections/audits/checks  are  carried  out  from  time  to  time  by  various agencies/officials/multi-disciplinary  teams  as  per  laid  down  instructions and actions for correction including damages are taken immediately. This is a continuous and ongoing process.

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