Lok Sabha Question No. 461 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Review of Overcrowding in Long Distance Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Ranjan

§

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 461 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## REVIEW OF OVERCROWDING IN LONG DISTANCE TRAINS

## †*461. SHRI RAJESH RANJAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  carried  out  any  detailed  review  of  the situation  of  ever-  increasing  waiting  list  and  overcrowding  in  longdistance trains during the last five years and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  the  details  of  the  number  of  passengers  waitlisted  and  the  additional capacity created during the said period especially on routes connecting Eastern States particularly in Bihar, State/UT and route-wise;
- (c)  whether  the  gaps  have  been  identified  between  the  increase  in passenger  demand  and  rail  capacity  expansion  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (d)  the  reasons  for  the  continued  shortage  of  confirmed  tickets  despite
- record railway revenues; and
- (e)  the  details  of  monitoring  and  evaluation  mechanisms  established  for periodical assessment of passenger capacity and service availability?

## 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.

*****

STATEMENT REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  STARRED QUESTION NO.461 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026 IN LOK SABHA

(a) to (e): On Indian Railways, occupancy pattern of trains varies over lean and peak periods. During peak rush periods, the occupancy of the trains especially on popular routes remains full whereas during lean period and on less popular routes, there is sub optimal utilization.

Waiting  list  pattern  is  monitored  on  regular  basis  and  to  cater  to additional demand, Indian Railways have taken various steps like introduction  of  new  trains,  increase  in  frequency/extension  of  existing trains,  augmentation  of  load  of  existing  trains  on  permanent  basis,  etc. Further, waiting list limits have been rationalized linking it to the extent of accommodation of that class available in the train.

During the last five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26 (up to Feb'2026), 1024 trains  were  introduced,  907  were  extended,  frequency  of  168  trains  was increased  and  4651  coaches  were  augmented.    As  the  Railway  network straddles  across  state  boundaries,  trains  are  introduced,  as  per  network requirement, across such boundaries. However, on originating/terminating basis, Indian Railways during 2021-22 to 2025-26 (Feb'2026) have introduced  444  train  services  catering  to  the  needs  of  various  stations located  in  the    Eastern/North  Eastern  region  including  following  75  pair trains serving the stations falling in the state of Bihar:-

|   S.No. | Train No. & Name                                           |
|---------|------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | 11015/11016 Lokmanya Tilak(T)-Saharsa Amrit Bharat Express |
|       2 | 13212/13211 Danapur-Jogbani Express                        |
|       3 | 13213/13214 Jogbani-Saharsa Express                        |
|       4 | 13229/13230 Rajendra Nagar-Godda Express                   |
|       5 | 13251/13252 Patna-Anand Vihar(T) Express                   |
|       6 | 13334/13333 Patna-Dumka Express                            |

| 7                                                 | 13697/13698 Gaya-Delhi Amrit Bharat Express               |
|---------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| 8                                                 | 14048/14047 Delhi-Sitamarhi Amrit Bharat Express          |
| 9                                                 | 14628/14627 Chheharta-Saharsa Amrit Bharat Express        |
| 10                                                | 15133/15134 Chhapra-Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express  |
| 11                                                | 15135/15136 Chhapra-Amritsar Express                      |
| 12                                                | 15293/15294 Muzaffarpur-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express  |
| 13                                                | 15501/15502 Raxaul-Jogbani Express                        |
| 14                                                | 15505/15506 Saharsa-Patliputra Express                    |
| 15                                                | 15507/15508 Darbhanga-Patliputra Express                  |
| 16                                                | 15555/15556 Bapudham Motihari-Patliputra MEMU             |
| 17                                                | 15557/15558 Darbhanga-Anand Vihar(T) Amrit Bharat Express |
| 18                                                | 15561/15562 Darbhanga-Gomti Nagar Amrit Bharat Express    |
| 19 15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari-Anand Vihar (T)  | Amrit Bharat Express                                      |
| 20                                                | 15589/15590 Muzaffarpur-Hadapsar Express                  |
| 21                                                | 15701/15702 Katihar -Siliguri Express                     |
| 22 15723/15724 Jogbani-Siliguri                   | Express                                                   |
| 23 16601/16602 Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express |                                                           |
| 24                                                | 18119/18120 Tatanagar-Jaynagar Express                    |
| 25                                                | 19623/19624 Madar-Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express          |
| 26                                                | 19801/19802 Sogaria Cabin-Danapur Express                 |
| 27                                                | 20893/20894 Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat Express          |
| 28                                                | 21893/21894 Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat Express          |
| 29 21895/21896 Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat       | Express                                                   |
| 30 22233/22234 New Jalpaiguri-Patna Vande Bharat  | Express                                                   |
| 31                                                | 22303/22304 Howrah-Gaya Vande Bharat Express              |
| 32                                                | 22309/22310 Howrah-Bhagalpur Vande Bharat Express         |
| 33                                                | 22345/22346 Patna-Gomti Nagar Vande Bharat Express        |
| 34                                                | 22347/22348 Howrah-Patna Vande Bharat Express             |

| 22349/22350 Patna-Ranchi Vande Bharat Express             |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| 22357/22358 Gaya-Lokmanya Tilak(T) Express                |
| 22361/22362 Rajendra Nagar-New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express |
| 26301/26302 Jogbani-Danapur Vande Bharat Express          |
| 26501/26502 Gorakhpur-Patliputra Vande Bharat Express     |
| 53201/53202 Patna-Buxar Passenger                         |
| 53203/53204 Jhajha-Danapur Passenger                      |
| 53237/53238 Gaya-Patna jn. Passenger                      |
| 53239/53240 Gaya-Patna jn. Passenger                      |
| 53241/53242 Gawnaha-Narkatiaganj jn. Passenger            |
| 55037/55038 Siwan-Thawe Passenger                         |
| 55121/55122 Siwan-Samastipur Passenger                    |
| 55501/55502 Jhanjharpur-Laukaha Bazar Passenger           |
| 55503/55504 Jhanjharpur-Laukaha Bazar Passenger           |
| 55583/55584 Raxaul jn.-Narkatiaganj jn. Passenger         |
| 63273/63274 Rajgir-Patna MEMU                             |
| 63275/63276 Kiul-Patna MEMU                               |
| 63329/63330 Gaya-Patliputra MEMU                          |
| 63331/63332 Kiul-Mokama MEMU                              |
| 63333/63334 Patliputra-Ballia MEMU                        |
| 63357/63358 Fatuha-Hilsa MEMU                             |
| 63359/63360 Saharsa-Dauram Madhepura MEMU                 |
| 63361/63362 Narkatiaganj-Gauhana MEMU                     |
| 63375/63376 Saharsa-Supaul MEMU                           |
| 63377/63378 Laheria Sarai-Saharsa DEMU                    |
| 63379/63380 Laheria Sarai-Saharsa DEMU                    |
| 63381/63382 Laheria Sarai-Saharsa DEMU                    |
| 63383/63384 Vaishali-Koderma MEMU                         |
| 63389/63390 Nawada-Patna MEMU                             |

|   64 | 63411/63412 Sahibganj-Bhagalpur MEMU                          |
|------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|   65 | 73433/73434 Sultanganj-Deoghar DEMU                           |
|   66 | 75213/75214 Raxaul jn.-Mehsi MEMU Special MEMU                |
|   67 | 75215/75216 Raxaul jn.-Jaynagar Passenger                     |
|   68 | 75221/75222 Sonpur jn.-Vaishali DEMU                          |
|   69 | 75223/75224 Bihariganj-Purnea Court DEMU                      |
|   70 | 75225/75226 Saharsa-Purnea Court DEMU                         |
|   71 | 75249/75250 Saharsa-Amha Pipra DEMU                           |
|   72 | 75251/75252 Saharsa-Samastipur jn. DEMU                       |
|   73 | 75273/75274 Islampur-Patna DEMU                               |
|   74 | 75751/75752 Telta-Radhikapur DEMU                             |
|   75 | 94803/94804 Jaynagar-Patna jn. Namo Bharat Rapid Rail Express |

With a view to meet the demand of passengers travelling in unreserved coaches, Railways have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding general class travel. During the last financial year 2024-25  alone,  1250  general  coaches  have  been  utilised  in  various  longdistance  trains.  In  the  current  financial  year  (upto  February,  2026),  860 Coaches have been utilised for permanent augmentation.

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

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

Table 1: Distribution of coaches:

| Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper)   | ~62,000   | ~70%   |
|----------------------------------------|-----------|--------|
| AC coaches                             | ~27,000   | ~30%   |
| Total coaches                          | ~89,000   | 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.

The current composition is as follows:

Table 3: Distribution of seats:

| Non-AC seats   | ~ 54 lakhs   | ~ 78%   |
|----------------|--------------|---------|
| AC seats       | ~ 15 lakhs   | ~ 22%   |
| Total          | ~ 69 lakhs   | 100%    |

Moreover,  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,  thereby  providing  greater  accommodation  for  the  passengers using General and non-AC Sleeper Coaches.

Further,  to  cater  to  the  needs  of  passengers  desirous  of  availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways (IR) operate unreserved nonAC passenger trains/ MEMU / EMU etc. for affordable travel, which are in addition to the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services.

With a view to providing affordable, good quality services to all sections of  the  society,  Indian  Railways  has  developed  different  types  of  trains, some of which are as under: -

## Vande Bharat services:

Indian  Railways,  with  a  view  to  improve  travel  experience  of  the passengers,  have  introduced  indigenously  designed  and  manufactured Vande  Bharat  trains  (Chair  Car/Sleeper)  with  modern  coaches,  advanced safety features and passenger amenities.

## Vande Bharat (Chair Car) Train service:

These new Vande Bharat Chair Car Trains have following features:

- Jerk Free Semi-Permanent couplers.
- Fitted with KAVACH.
- Centrally  controlled  Automatic  Plug  Doors  and  Fully  Sealed  wider gangways.
- Emergency Alarm Push buttons and Talk Back Units on all Coaches.

- Improved fire safety  -  Aerosol  based  fire  detection  and  suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories.
- Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 KMPH.
- Driver-Guard  communication  with  voice  recording  facility  &  Crash hardened memory.
- Air  conditioning  units  provided  with  indigenously  developed  UV-C lamp based disinfection system for deactivating 99% harmful bacteria from  conditioned  air  to  improve  the  hygiene  standards  inside  the passenger area.
- Better Ride Comfort.
- CCTVs in all Coaches.
- For Divyangjan passengers, special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end.
- Coach  Condition  Monitoring  System  (CCMS)  display  with  remote monitoring.

As  on  15.03.2026,  the  following  162  (81  pairs)  Vande  Bharat  train services (Chair Car) are being operated on the Indian Railways network:

|   S.No. | Train No. and Name                                                       |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | 22435/22436 New Delhi - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express                    |
|       2 | 22439/22440 Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra - New Delhi Vande Bharat Express |
|       3 | 20901/20902 Gandhinagar Capital - Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express    |
|       4 | 22447/22448 Amb Andura - New Delhi Vande Bharat Express                  |

|   5 | 20607/20608 Mysuru - MGR Chennai Central Vande Bharat Express                      |
|-----|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   6 | 20825/20826 Nagpur - Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express                                 |
|   7 | 22301/22302 New Jalpaiguri - Howrah Vande Bharat Express                           |
|   8 | 20833/20834 Secunderabad - Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express                      |
|   9 | 22223/22224 Sainagar Shirdi - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express |
|  10 | 22225/22226 Solapur - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express         |
|  11 | 20171/20172 Nizamuddin - Rani Kamlapati Vande Bharat Express                       |
|  12 | 20701/20702 Tirupati - Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express                           |
|  13 | 20643/20644 Coimbatore - Chennai Vande Bharat Express                              |
|  14 | 20977/20978 Chandigarh - Ajmer Vande Bharat Express                                |
|  15 | 20633/20634 Thiruvananthapuram- Kasargod Vande Bharat Express                      |
|  16 | 22895/22896 Puri - Howrah Vande Bharat Express                                     |
|  17 | 22457/22458 Dehradun - Anand Vihar Vande Bharat Express                            |

|   18 | 22227/22228 Guwahati - New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express                 |
|------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   19 | 20911/20912 Nagpur - Indore Vande Bharat Express                           |
|   20 | 22229/22230 Madgaon - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express |
|   21 | 22349/22350 Ranchi - Patna Vande Bharat Express                            |
|   22 | 20661/20662 Dharwar - Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express                       |
|   23 | 20173/20174 Rewa - Rani Kamlapati Vande Bharat Express                     |
|   24 | 22549/22550 Gorakhpur - Prayagraj Vande Bharat Express                     |
|   25 | 12461/12462 Sabarmati - Jodhpur Vande Bharat Express                       |
|   26 | 22925/22926 Okha - Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express                          |
|   27 | 20665/20666 Tirunelveli - Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express              |
|   28 | 20677/20678 Narsapur - Chennai Vande Bharat Express                        |
|   29 | 20703/20704 Yesvantpur -Kacheguda Vande Bharat Express                     |
|   30 | 20631/20632 Thiruvananthapuram- Mangaluru Vande Bharat Express             |
|   31 | 26963/26964 Udaipur - Asarva Vande Bharat Express                          |

|   32 | 22347/22348 Patna - Howrah Vande Bharat Express                           |
|------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   33 | 20835/20836 Puri - Rourkela Vande Bharat Express                          |
|   34 | 20897/20898 Ranchi - Howrah Vande Bharat Express                          |
|   35 | 22415/22416 New Delhi - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express                     |
|   36 | 20641/20642 Coimbatore - Bengaluru Cantt Vande Bharat Express             |
|   37 | 20645/20646 Mangaluru - Madgaon Vande Bharat Express                      |
|   38 | 20705/20706 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (T) - Nanded Vande Bharat Express |
|   39 | 22477/22478 Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra - New Delhi Vande Bharat Express  |
|   40 | 22425/22426 Anand Vihar - Ayodhya Cantt. Vande Bharat Express             |
|   41 | 22487/22488 Amritsar - Delhi Vande Bharat Express                         |
|   42 | 22962/22961 Mumbai Central - Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express               |
|   43 | 20707/20708 Visakhapatnam - Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express             |
|   44 | 20663/20664 Chennai - Mysuru Vande Bharat Express                         |

|   45 | 22233/22234 Patna - New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express      |
|------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|   46 | 22470/22469 Khajuraho - Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express      |
|   47 | 22231/22232 Bengaluru - Kalburagi Vande Bharat Express       |
|   48 | 20841/20842 Visakhapatnam - Bhubaneswar Vande Bharat Express |
|   49 | 22345/22346 Gomti Nagar - Patna Vande Bharat Express         |
|   50 | 20887/20888 Varanasi - Ranchi Vande Bharat Express           |
|   51 | 22545/22546 Dehradun - Lucknow Jn Vande Bharat Express       |
|   52 | 22490/22489 Varanasi - Meerut City Vande Bharat Express      |
|   53 | 20627/20628 Nagercoil - Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express  |
|   54 | 20671/20672 Bengaluru Cantt - Madurai Vande Bharat Express   |
|   55 | 22500/22499 Deoghar - Varanasi Vande Bharat Express          |
|   56 | 22309/22310 Jamalpur - Howrah Vande Bharat Express           |
|   57 | 20871/20872 Rourkela - Howrah Vande Bharat Express           |
|   58 | 20893/20894 Patna - Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express           |
|   59 | 20892/20891 Tatanagar - Brahmapur Vande Bharat Express       |

|   60 | 22303/22304 Gaya - Howrah Vande Bharat Express                           |
|------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   61 | 20669/20670 Pune - Hubballi Vande Bharat Express                         |
|   62 | 20673/20674 Pune - Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj (T) Vande Bharat Express    |
|   63 | 20101/20102 Secunderabad - Nagpur Vande Bharat Express                   |
|   64 | 20829/20830 Visakhapatnam - Durg Vande Bharat Express                    |
|   65 | 21893/21894 Patna - Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express                       |
|   66 | 21895/21896 Patna - Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express                       |
|   67 | 20176/20175 Banaras - Agra Cantt. Vande Bharat Express                   |
|   68 | 26901/26902 Veraval - Sabarmati Vande Bharat Express                     |
|   69 | 26401/26402 Srinagar - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express |
|   70 | 26403/26404 Srinagar -Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express  |
|   71 | 26502/26501 Pataliputra - Gorakhpur Vande Bharat Express                 |
|   72 | 26751/26752 KSR Bengaluru - Belagavi Vande Bharat Express                |
|   73 | 26406/26405 Amritsar - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express |

|   74 | 26101/26102 Pune - Ajni Vande Bharat Express               |
|------|------------------------------------------------------------|
|   75 | 26302/26301 Jogbani - Danapur Vande Bharat Express         |
|   76 | 26481/26482 Delhi Cantt - Jodhpur Vande Bharat Express     |
|   77 | 26471/26472 Delhi Cantt - Bikaner Vande Bharat Express     |
|   78 | 26462/26461 Delhi - Firozpur Cantt. Vande Bharat Express   |
|   79 | 26651/26652 Ernakulam - KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express |
|   80 | 26506/26505 Khajuraho - Banaras Vande Bharat Express       |
|   81 | 26504/26503 Saharanpur -Gomtinagar Vande Bharat Express    |

Vande Bharat Sleeper Train service:

With a view to providing comfortable journey with lesser transit time to long distance travellers, the Sleeper variant of Vande Bharat Express has been indigenously designed and developed.

Broad Technological advancements and safety features provided in these Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains are as below:

- Jerk-Free Semi permanent couplers and Anti Climbers.
- Fitted with KAVACH.
- Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 KMPH.
- Crashworthy Design of Car body complying with EN standards.
- Fire barrier doors at the end of each coach for compliance of Fire Safety standards.

- Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories.
- Regenerative braking system for energy efficiency.
- Air  conditioning  units  provided  with  indigenously  developed  UV-C lamp  based  disinfection  system  for  deactivating  99%  harmful bacteria  from  conditioned  air  to  improve  the  hygiene  standards inside the passenger area.
- Centrally  controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways.
- CCTVs in all coaches.
- Emergency  talk-back  unit  for  communication  between  Passenger and Train Manager/Loco Pilot in case of emergency.
- For Divyangjan passengers, special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end.
- Centralized Coach Monitoring System for better condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as Air conditioning, Saloon Lighting etc.
- Ergonomically  designed  ladder  for  ease  of  climbing  on  to  upper berths.

As  on  15.03.2026,  the  following  02  Vande  Bharat  Sleeper  Express  are being operated on the Indian Railways network:

|   S.No. | Train No. and Name                                         |
|---------|------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | 27575/27576 Howrah - Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express |

## Amrit Bharat service:

To  provide  affordable  means  of  transportation  to  the  low  and  middle income  families,  Indian  Railways  have  introduced  Amrit  Bharat  services that  are  fully  non-AC  modern  trains.  As  on  15.03.2026,  60  services  are

already 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:

- Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper.
- Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers.
- Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube.
- Provision of CCTV system in all coaches.
- Improved designs of toilets.
- Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth.
- Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets.
- Provision of EP assisted braking system.
- Aerosol  based  fire suppression  system  in  toilets and  electrical cubicles.
- USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets.
- Emergency  Talk  Back  system  for  two-way  communication  between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager.
- Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity.
- Fully  sealed  gangways  with  quick  release  mechanism  for  easy attachment and detachment.

As  on  15.03.2026,  the  following  60  Amrit  Bharat  Express  services  (30 pairs) are being operated on the Indian Railways network:

|   S.No. | Train No. and Name                                            |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | 11015/11016 Lokmanya Tilak (T) - Saharsa Amrit Bharat Express |
|       2 | 13697/13698 Gaya - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express                 |

|   3 | 15293/15294 Muzaffarpur - Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express           |
|-----|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   4 | 15557/15558 Darbhanga - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express         |
|   5 | 15561/15562 Darbhanga - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express              |
|   6 | 15567/15568 Bapudham Motihari - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express |
|   7 | 22361/22362 Rajendranagar (T) - New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express       |
|   8 | 13433/13434 SMVT Bengaluru - Malda Town Amrit Bharat Express         |
|   9 | 13435/13436 Malda Town - Gomtinagar Amrit Bharat Express             |
|  10 | 15133/15134 Chhapra - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express           |
|  11 | 14047/14048 Sitamarhi - Delhi Amrit Bharat Express                   |
|  12 | 14627/14628 Saharsa - Chheharta Amrit Bharat Express                 |
|  13 | 19623/19624 Madar - Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express                   |
|  14 | 16601/16602 Erode - Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express                     |
|  15 | 19021/19022 Udhna - Brahmapur Amrit Bharat Express                   |
|  16 | 15671/15672 Kamakhya - Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express                   |
|  17 | 20609/20610 New Jalpaiguri - Tiruchchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express  |
|  18 | 16597/16598 SMVT Bengaluru - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express         |

|   19 | 11031/11032 Panvel - Alipurduar Amrit Bharat Express                    |
|------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   20 | 16107/16108 Tambaram - Santragachi Amrit Bharat Express                 |
|   21 | 13065/13066 Howrah - Anand Vihar (T) Amrit Bharat Express               |
|   22 | 22587/22588 Sealdah - Banaras Amrit Bharat Express                      |
|   23 | 20603/20604 New Jalpaiguri - Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express             |
|   24 | 15949/15950 Dibrugarh - Gomti Nagar Amrit Bharat Express                |
|   25 | 16121/16122 Tambaram - Thiruvananthapuram Central Amrit Bharat Express  |
|   26 | 16329/16330 Nagercoil - Mangaluru Amrit Bharat Express                  |
|   27 | 17041/17042 Charlapalli - Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat Express |
|   28 | 16619/16620 Podanur-Dhanbad Amrit Bharat Express                        |
|   29 | 16357/16358 Nagercoil-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express                  |
|   30 | 15673/15674 Charlapalli - Kamakhya Amrit Bharat Express                 |

## Namo Bharat Rapid Rail service:

Indian Railways have introduced Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services. These services are  aimed to  enhance  the  travel  experience  to  the  suburban  and regional  commuters  for  short  distance  travel.  The  prominent  features  of

## Namo Bharat Rapid Rail are as follows:

1. Centrally controlled Double Leaf Automatic Sliding Doors.
2. CCTVs for safety and passenger surveillance.
3. Modular interior with Cushioned Seats and Sealed Flexible Gangway.
4. Emergency Talk System.

5. Continuous LED lighting with Energy Efficient Lighting system.
6. FRP Modular Toilets with vacuum evacuation.
7. Fully Air-Conditioned trains with Driver cab AC.

As on 15.03.2026, the following 4 Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services are in operation:

|   S.No. | Train Number and Name                             |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | 94801/94802 Ahmedabad-Bhuj Namo Bharat Rapid Rail |
|       2 | 94803/94804 Jaynagar-Patna Namo Bharat Rapid Rail |

## SPECIAL TRAINS

IR also operates Special train services during festivals, holidays, etc. to cater to the extra needs of passengers and supplement the accommodation available by regular services.

Accordingly,  the  number  of  Special  trains  operated  across  the  Indian Railways  network,  to  facilitate  the  passengers  during  Summer/winter vacations, festivals are as below:

| Year                    | No. of trips   |
|-------------------------|----------------|
| 2023-24                 | ~40,500        |
| 2024-25                 | ~85,400        |
| 2025-26(upto Feb, 2026) | ~74,800        |

## Amrit Bharat Stations

Ministry  of  Railways  has  launched  Amrit  Bharat  Station  Scheme  for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach.

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

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.

So far, 1338 stations have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 98 stations are located in Bihar. The names  of  stations  identified  for  development  under  Amrit  Bharat  Station Scheme in Bihar are as following:

| State   |   No. of | Name of Stations                                                                                                                                                              |
|---------|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Bihar   |       98 | Anugraha Narayan Road, Ara, Arariya Court, Bakhtiyarpur, Banka, Banmankhi, Bapudham Motihari, Barahiya, Barauni, Barh, Barsoi Jn, Begusarai, Bettiah, Bhabua Road, Bhagalpur, |

| State   | No. of Stations   | Name of Stations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|---------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         |                   | Bhagwanpur, Bihar Sharif, Bihiya, Bikramganj, Buxar, Chakia, Chausa, Chhapra, Dalsingh Sarai, Darbhanga, Dauram Madhepura, Dehri On Sone, Dholi, Dighwara, Dumraon, Durgauti, Ekma, Fatuha, Gaya, Ghorasahan, Guraru, Hajipur Jn, Jamalpur Jn, Jamui, Janakpur Road, Jaynagar, Jehanabad, Jhanjharpur, Kahalgaon, Karhagola Road, Katihar Jn, Khagaria Jn, Kishanganj, Kudra, Labha, Laheria Sarai, Lakhminia, Luckeesarai Jn, Madhubani, Maheshkhunt, Mairwa, Mansi Jn, Masrakh, Mokama, Motipur, Munger (Monghyr), Muzaffarpur Jn, Nabinagar Road, Narkatiaganj Jn, Naugachia, Nawadah, Paharpur, Patliputra, Patna Jn, Piro, Pirpainti, Rafiganj, Raghunathpur, Rajendra Nagar Terminal (Patna), Rajgir, Ram Dayalu Nagar, Raxaul, Sabaur, Sagauli, Saharsa, Sahibpur Kamal, Sakri, Salauna, Salmari, Samastipur, Sasaram, Shahpur Patoree, Shivanarayanpur, Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Simultala, Sitamarhi, Siwan, Sonpur Jn., Sultanganj, Supaul, Taregna, Thakurganj, Thawe |

Development  works  at  railway  stations  under  Amrit  Bharat  Station Scheme in Bihar have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 02 stations  (Pirpainti  and  Thawe)  in  Bihar  have  been  completed  under  this scheme.

The activities for development at other stations have also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of the stations is as given below:

- Dumraon  station:  The  works  of  new  station  building,  new  platform, circulating  area,  parking  and  additional  Foot  Over  Bridge  have  been
-  taken up.
-  Kishanganj station: The works of platform surfacing at platform no.1&2, drinking  water  taps  at  platform  no.  1&2,  improvement  of  circulating area,  parking  at  second  entry,  approach  road  and  boundary  wall  have been completed. The works of horticulture and 12m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.
-  Salmari station: The works of improvement of station building, extension and raising of platform no.1 and platform shelter at platform no.1 have been completed. The works of circulating area and 3 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.
-  Simultala  station:  The  works  of  station  building  at  second  entry, extension of platform no. 1&2, platform shelter, platform refurbishment, circulating  area,  parking,  signage,  coach  indication  board  and  train indication board have been completed. The work of escalator installation has been taken up.
-  Thakurganj  station:  The  works  of  raising  of  platform  no.  1,  platform surfacing at platform no. 2, platform shelter at platform no. 1 & 2 and 12m  Foot  Over  Bridge  have  been  completed.  The  works  of  platform surfacing  at  platform  no.  1,  toilet  at  platform  no.  2,  coach  indication board and train indication board have been taken up.

Further,  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. Development / redevelopment /

upgradation / modernisation of a station is carried out based on category of station/condition/traffic handled etc.

Ministry  of  Railways  has  planned  to  provide  holding  areas  for  crowd management  at  76  stations.  The  passenger  holding  area  for  crowd management planning envisages a comfortable, well-organized space with basic  amenities  like  seating,  drinking  water,  toilets,  ticketing  facilities, information displays, security checks, etc. These amenities are planned to be  organised  to  manage  large  passenger  footfall  efficiently  during  peak hours.

The  passenger  holding  area  established  at  New  Delhi  Railway  Station has  significantly  helped  to  ease  congestion  and  enhance  passenger convenience,  particularly  during  peak  travel  periods.  The  holding  area  is equipped  with  a  wide  range  of  commuter-friendly  facilities,  including  an increased number of ticket counters, Automatic Ticket Vending Machine(ATVMs), public announcement system, electronic train information  display  boards,  CCTV  surveillance,  luggage  scanners,  Door Frame  Metal  Detector  (DFMDs),  uninterrupted  power  supply,  improved night-time  lighting,  High  Volume  Low  Speed  (HVLS)  fans,  fire-fighting system,  lightning  protection  system,  RO  drinking  water,  and  separate toilets for men, women and Divyangjans, along with seating arrangements.

The provision of holding areas at other stations is at various stages of planning/execution. Planning is an iterative process requiring optimization and  the  time  frame  and  other  details  for  such  optimization  cannot  be indicated at this stage.

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, airport 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.

Development  /  Upgradation  /  Modernization  of  stations  including  Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 'Customer Amenities'. The details of allocation and expenditure under Plan Head-53 are  maintained  Zonal  Railway-wise  and  not  work-wise  or  station-wise  or state-wise.  Bihar  is  covered  under  the  jurisdiction  of  four  railway  zones, namely, Eastern Railway, Northeast Frontier Railway, North Eastern Railway and East Central Railway. For these zones, an allocation (Revised Estimate) of ₹ 1,828 crore has been made for the current year, out of which an expenditure (up to February, 2026) of ₹ 1,793 crore has been incurred so far.

Major Developmental works done in Bihar:

Railway Budget:

Budget  allocation  for  Infrastructure  projects  and  safety  works,  falling fully/partly in the State of Bihar is as under:

| Period   | Outlay                       |
|----------|------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | ₹1,132 Cr./year              |
| 2025-26  | ₹10,066 Cr. (Nearly 9 times) |

## Track construction:

The details of commissioning/laying of new track falling fully/partly in the State of Bihar during 2009-14 and 2014-25 is as under :-

| Period   | New Track Commissioned   | Average Commissioning of new tracks   |
|----------|--------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | 318 Km                   | 63.6 Km/year                          |
| 2014-25  | 1,899 Km                 | 172.6 Km/year (More than 2.5 times)   |

## Projects sanctioned:

As on 01.04.2025, 52 projects (31 New Lines, 01 Gauge Conversions and 20 Doubling), of a total length of 4,663 km, costing ₹86,107 crore, falling fully/partly in Bihar, are sanctioned, out of which 1,014 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of ₹29,353 crore has been incurred upto March' 2025. The summary is as under:-

| Category                 |   No of sanctioned Projects | Total Length NL/GC/DL (in Km)   | Length Commissioned till Mar'25 (in Km)   | Total Exp upto Mar'25 (₹ in Cr)   |
|--------------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| New Lines                |                          31 | 2,691                           | 516                                       | 16,814                            |
| Gauge Conversion         |                           1 | 69                              | 52                                        | 544                               |
| Doubling/Multi- tracking |                          20 | 1,904                           | 446                                       | 11,995                            |
| Total                    |                          52 | 4,663                           | 1,014                                     | 29,353                            |

Recently completed projects:

Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in Bihar are as under:-

|   SN. | Project                       |   Length (Km) | Cost (In Crores of Rs)   |
|-------|-------------------------------|---------------|--------------------------|
|     1 | Patna rail cum road Bridge    |            28 | 3,210                    |
|     2 | Munger rail cum road Bridge   |            15 | 3,040                    |
|     3 | Kosi Bridge                   |            22 | 863                      |
|     4 | Daniawan-Biharsharif New Line |            38 | 354                      |
|     5 | Chandan-Banka New Line        |            40 | 496                      |
|     6 | Rampurhat-Mandarhill New Line |           130 | 908                      |
|     7 | Maharajganj-Masrakh New Line  |            35 | 412                      |

|   8 | Rajgir-Tilaiya & Natesar-lslampur New Line                            |   67 | 726   |
|-----|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|------|-------|
|   9 | Mansi-Saharsa-Purnia Gauge Conversion                                 |  141 | 752   |
|  10 | Jaynagar-Narkatiaganj Gauge Conversion                                |  260 | 967   |
|  11 | Kaptanganj-Chhapra Gauge Conversion                                   |  234 | 819   |
|  12 | Sakri-Nirmali & Saharasa-Forbesganj Gauge Conversion                  |  206 | 2,113 |
|  13 | Mansi-Saharsa, Saharsa-Purnia & Banmakhi- Bihariganj Gauge Conversion |  169 | 752   |
|  14 | Sahibganj-Pirpainti Doubling                                          |   23 | 129   |
|  15 | Maheshkunt-Thanabihpur Doubling                                       |   32 | 115   |
|  16 | Hajipur-Ramdayalu Nagar Doubling                                      |   48 | 367   |
|  17 | Pirpainti-Bhagalpur Doubling                                          |   51 | 493   |
|  18 | Bakhtiyarpur-Barh Doubling                                            |   19 | 237   |
|  19 | Kiul-Gaya Doubling                                                    |  124 | 2,462 |
|  20 | Hajipur-Bachwara Doubling                                             |   72 | 930   |
|  21 | Darbhanga bypass                                                      |    9 | 253   |
|  22 | Araria-Galgalia (Thakurganj) New Line                                 |  110 | 2,132 |
|  23 | Saraigarh Byepass line                                                |    5 | 79    |
|  24 | Chhapra-Chhapra Kacheri 3rd line                                      |    3 | 33    |

## Ongoing projects:

Some of the projects falling fully/partly in the State of Bihar which have been taken up are as under:

|   SN. | Project                 |   Length (Km) |   Cost (Rs. in Cr.) |
|-------|-------------------------|---------------|---------------------|
|     1 | Sakri-Hasanpur new line |            76 |                 735 |

<!-- image -->

|   2 | Khagaria-Kusheshwarsthan New line                                      |   42 | 1,511   |
|-----|------------------------------------------------------------------------|------|---------|
|   3 | Fatuha-lslampur new line                                               |  167 | 2,882   |
|   4 | Koderma-Tilaiya new line                                               |   65 | 1,980   |
|   5 | Hajipur-Sagauli new line                                               |  151 | 2,702   |
|   6 | Araria-Supaul new line                                                 |   96 | 1,925   |
|   7 | Kursela-Bihariganj new line                                            |   58 | 194     |
|   8 | Bikramshila-Katareah new line                                          |   26 | 2,171   |
|   9 | Jhajha-Batia new line                                                  |   20 | 588     |
|  10 | Pirpainti-Jassidih new line                                            |   97 | 2,611   |
|  11 | Chhitauni-Tumkuhi Road new line                                        |   59 | 1,731   |
|  12 | Jalalgarh-Kishanganj new line                                          |   51 | 360     |
|  13 | Jogbani-Biratnagar (Nepal) new line                                    |   19 | 402     |
|  14 | Darbhanga-Kusheshwarasthan new line                                    |   70 | 367     |
|  15 | Motihari-Sitamarhi new line                                            |   77 | 1,007   |
|  16 | Sitamarhi-Nirmali new line                                             |  189 | 2,833   |
|  17 | Nawada-Laxmipur new line                                               |  137 | 3,121   |
|  18 | Ara-Bhabua Road new line                                               |  150 | 2,397   |
|  19 | Gaya-Daltonganj new line                                               |  137 | 2,861   |
|  20 | Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga new line                                         |   69 | 282     |
|  21 | Muzaffarpur-Janakpur Road new line                                     |   67 | 228     |
|  22 | Dehri on Sone-Banjari new line                                         |   35 | 111     |
|  23 | Chhapra-Muzzafarpur new line                                           |   78 | 1,894   |
|  24 | Bihta-Aurangabad new line                                              |  120 | 2,995   |
|  25 | Gaya-Chatra and Gaya-Natesar new line                                  |  135 | 4,543   |
|  26 | Deogarh-Sultanganj new line incl.Banka- Barahat and Banka-Bhitiah Road |  154 | 665     |
|  27 | Sultanganj-Katuria new line                                            |   77 | 291     |
|  28 | Bariarpur-Mananpur new line                                            |   68 | 251     |
|  29 | Hathua-Bhatni new line                                                 |   80 | 318     |

|   30 | Aurangabad Terminal-Anugrah Narayan Road new line                                                                            |   13 | 441    |
|------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------|--------|
|   31 | Nawadah-Pawapuri New line                                                                                                    |   25 | 492    |
|   32 | Jaynagar-Bijalpura Gauge conversion                                                                                          |   69 | 790    |
|   33 | Dhanbad-Sonnagar 3rd line                                                                                                    |  291 | 7,906  |
|   34 | Samastipur-Darbhanga Doubling                                                                                                |   38 | 826    |
|   35 | Rampur Dumra-Tal-Rajendra Pul-Additional bridge and Doubling                                                                 |   14 | 2,535  |
|   36 | Sagauli-Valmikinagar Doubling                                                                                                |  110 | 1,456  |
|   37 | Gaya Bye pass for Manpur                                                                                                     |    2 | 30     |
|   38 | Muzaffarpur-Sugauli Doubling                                                                                                 |  101 | 1,586  |
|   39 | Barauni-Bachwara 3rd & 4th line                                                                                              |   32 | 486    |
|   40 | Sonenagar bye pass(Chiralapothu to Bagha Bishunpur)                                                                          |   10 | 224    |
|   41 | Narkatiaganj-Darbhanga& Sitamarhi- Muzaffarpur Doubling                                                                      |  256 | 4,080  |
|   42 | Chhapra-Ballia Patch Doubling                                                                                                |   65 | 1,046  |
|   43 | Gorakhpur-Valmikinagar Doubling                                                                                              |   96 | 1,121  |
|   44 | Katihar-Kumedpur and Katihar-Mukuria Doubling                                                                                |   65 | 943    |
|   45 | Bhadaura Station and Karma Station Surface Triangle Line                                                                     |   11 | 200    |
|   46 | ROR at Sasaram connecting GC to Ara- Sasaram Line                                                                            |    9 | 470    |
|   47 | Ara Bye pass Line to be connected from Jagjivan Halt to existing ARA-Sasaram line through link cabin (Y-Connectivity at Ara) |    3 | 119    |
|   48 | Son Nagar-Andal Multitracking                                                                                                |  749 | 12,334 |
|   49 | Bulb line at Nabinagar (Ankorha)                                                                                             |   17 | 612    |

| 50   | Punarakh- Barh-Bhaktiyarpur New 4th line &   | 28   | 422   |
|------|----------------------------------------------|------|-------|
|      | balance 3rd line                             |      |       |
| 51   | Sanjaygram to Dhachna By Pass line           | 2    | 34    |
| 52   | Aluabari Road-Thakurganj Doubling            | 20   | 327   |
| 53   | Aluabari Road-New Jalpaiguri 3rd & 4th Line  | 57   | 1,630 |
| 54   | Bhagalpur-Jamalpur 3rd Line                  | 53   | 1,156 |
| 55   | Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurh at Doubling          | 177  | 3,169 |
| 56   | Bakhtiyarpur-Rajgir-Tilaiya Doubling         | 104  | 2,192 |
| 57   | Bakthiyarpur-Fatuha 3rd and 4th line         | 24   | 931   |
| 58   | Punarakh-Kiul 3rd and 4th line               | 50   | 2668  |

Zonal  Railway  wise  details  of  Railway  projects  are  made  available  in public domain on Indian Railway's website.

Sanction of any railway project depends upon many parameters/factors which include the following:

-  Anticipated  traffic  projections  and  Remunerativeness  of  the  proposed route
-  First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
-  Connection of missing links and providing additional route
-  Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
-  Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives,
-  Railway's own operational requirements
-  Socio-economic considerations
-  Overall availability of funds

Completion  of  Railway  project/s  depends  on  various  factors  which include the following:

-  Land acquisition by State Government
-  Forest clearance

-  Shifting of infringing utilities
-  Statutory clearances from various authorities
-  Geological and topographical conditions of area
-  Law and order situation in the area of project site
-  Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.

All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s.

Implementation  of  such  measures  to  facilitate  rail  travel  for  diverse segments of passengers is a continuous and ongoing process. *****