Lok Sabha Question No. 1834 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-10
Subject: Rail Facilities in Banda-Chitrakoot Region
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Krishna Devi Shivshankar Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1834 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.12.2025

## RAIL FACILITIES IN BANDA-CHITRAKOOT REGION

†1834. SMT. KRISHNA DEVI SHIVSHANKAR PATEL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  connect  Banda-Chitrakoot section  directly  to  Delhi  and  Prayagraj  by  introducing  Vande  Bharat, Unknown/Intercity  ог  any  new  superfast  trains  and  if  so,  the  present status of the proposal thereof;
- (b)  the  present  progress  made  on  the  doubling  of  the  Jhansi-BandaChitrakoot  route  including  the  Banda-Karwi-Manikpur  section  and  the estimated timeframe for completion of said work;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to develop Manikpur Junction as a major interchange station enhancing facilities such as platform expansion, electrification upgradation and stoppage to additional trains and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether the Union Government is working on a special "Bundelkhand Rail Connectivity Package" to connect the rail network of the Bundelkhand  region  with  major  rail-lines  in  Purvanchal  and  North  India and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (d) Presently, Banda/Chitrakoot  stations are connected to Delhi and

Praygraj by 02 pairs and 10 pairs of train services respectively. This

……contd/2

includes 26505/06 Banaras-Khajuraho Vande Bharat Express catering to the needs of Banda-Chitrakoot-Prayagraj sector.

Manikpur  station  is  presently  served  by  45  pairs  of  trains  providing connectivity inter  alia  to  Delhi,  Lucknow,  Prayagraj,  Varanasi,  Mumbai, Kolkata, Kanniyakumari, Chennai etc. Besides, introduction of new train services/stoppage  of  trains,  which  is  an  on-going  process,  depends  on various factors which include-

- Capacity of that section
- Availability of path
- Availability of required rolling stock
- Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock
- Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets.

## Doubling and electrification:

Jhansi-Banda-Chitrakoot-Manikpur rail line is electrified. Doubling of this rail line alongwith electrification has been sanctioned. The details are as under:

The  work  on  Jhansi-Khairar-Manikpur  and  Khairar-Bhimsen  (431  km) doubling  project  has  been  taken  up  at  a  cost  of  Rs.  4,330  crore.    The project has been notified as 'Special Railway Project' for acquisition of land through State Government in Nov, 2022. Approx  67 Ha of land has been acquired out of a total 97 Ha. An expenditure of Rs. 1,830 crore has been incurred up to March 2025 and an outlay of Rs. 1,416 crore has been provided  for  for  the  project  the  financial  year  2025-26.  So,  far  81  Km length has been commissioned.

In  last  three  years  2022-23,  2023-24,  2024-25  and  current  financial  year 2025-26, 119 surveys (33 New Line, 84 Doubling and 02 Gauge Conversion) covering a total length of 6,414 Km  have  been  sanctioned  falling fully/partly in the State of Uttar Pradesh including Bundelkhand region.

In  last  three  years  i.e.  2022-23,  2023-24,  2024-25  and  current  financial year  2025-26,  61  surveys  (18  New  Line  &  43  Doubling)  covering  a  total length of 5,901 Km have been sanctioned falling fully/partly in the State of Madhya Pradesh including Bundelkhand region. Some of the major survey are:

|   SL | Projects                                               | Sanctioned   |
|------|--------------------------------------------------------|--------------|
|    1 | Bypass RUR Virangna-Lakshmibai- Jhansi-Mustara (07 KM) | DPR prepared |
|    2 | Manikpur-Katni-Jabalpur-Itarsi-3 rd line (518 KM)      | DPR prepared |
|    3 | Dholpur-Jhansi-Bina 4 th line (333KM)                  | DPR prepared |

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

- Land acquisition
- 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

## Amrit Bharat Station Scheme:

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

……contd/4

- 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, 1337 stations have been identified  for development under Amrit Bharat  Station  Scheme,  out  of  which  157  stations  including  Manikpur Junction station, are located in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The name of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in the state of Uttar Pradesh are as following:

| State         |   No. of Stations | Name of Stations                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|---------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Uttar Pradesh |               157 | Achnera, Agra Cantt., Agra Fort, Aishbagh Jn, Akbarpur Jn, Aligarh, Amethi, Amroha, Anand Nagar Jn., Aonla, Ayodhya Dham Junction, Azamgarh, Babatpur, Bachhrawan, Badaun, Badshahnagar, Badshahpur, Baheri, Bahraich, Balamau Jn., Ballia, Balrampur, Banaras, Banda, Barabanki Jn, Bareilly, Bareilly City, Barhni, Basti, Belthara Road, Bhadohi, Bharatkund, Bhatni, Bhuteshwar, Bijnor, Bulandsahar, Chandauli Majhwar, Chandausi, Chilbila, Chitrakut Dham Karwi, Chopan, Chunar Jn., Daliganj, Darshannagar, Deoria Sadar, Dhampur, Dildarnagar, Etawah Jn., Farrukhabad, Fatehabad, Fatehpur, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Gajraula, Garhmuktesar, Gauriganj, Ghatampur, Ghaziabad, Ghazipur City, Gola Gokarnath, Gomtinagar, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Govardhan, Govindpuri, Gursahaiganj, Haidergarh, Hapur, Hardoi, Hathras City, Idgah Agra Jn, Izzatnagar, Janghai Jn, Jaunpur City, Jaunpur Jn, Kannauj, Kanpur Anwarganj, Kanpur Bridge Left Bank, Kanpur Central, Kaptanganj Jn, Kasganj Jn, Kashi, Khalilabad, Khorason road, Khurja Jn., Kosi Kalan, Kunda Harnamganj, Lakhimpur, Lalganj, Lalitpur Jn, Lambhua, Lohta, Lucknow (Charbagh) NR, Lucknow city, Lucknow Jn. (NER), Maa Belha Devi Pratapgarh Junction, Maghar, Maharaja Bijli Pasi, Mahoba Jn, Mailani Jn, Mainpuri Jn, Malhaur, Manak Nagar, Manikpur Jn, Mariahu, Mathura Jn, Mau Jn, Meerut City Jn, Mirzapur, Modinagar, Mohanlalganj, Moradabad Jn, Muzaffarnagar, Nagina, Najibabad Jn, Orai, Panki Dham, Phaphamau Jn, Phulpur, Pilibhit Jn, Pokhrayan, Prayag Jn, Prayagraj Jn, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn , Rae Bareli Jn, Raja Ki Mandi, Ramghat Halt, Rampur Jn, Renukoot, Saharanpur Jn., Salempur, Seohara, Shahganj Jn, Shahjahanpur, Shamli, Shikohabad Jn., Shivpur, Siddharth nagar, Sitapur Jn., Sonbhadra, Sri Krishna Nagar, Sultanpur Jn, Suraimanpur, Swaminarayan Chappia, Takia, Tulsipur, Tundla Jn., Ujhani, Unchahar, Unnao Jn, Utraitia Jn, Varanasi Cantt., Varanasi City, Vindhyachal, Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi, Vyasnagar, Zafarabad |

Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in the state of Uttar Pradesh have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works  of  22  stations  (Ayodhya  Dham,  Balrampur,  Bareilly  City,  Bijnor, Fatehabad,  Fatehpur,  Gola  Gokarnath,  Gomtinagar,  Govardhan,  Govindpuri, Hathras  City,  Idgah  Agra  Jn,  Izzatnagar,  Mailani,  Panki  Dham,  Pokhrayan, Ramghat Halt, Saharanpur Jn., Siddharth Nagar, Suraimanpur, Swaminarayan  Chappia,  Ujhani)  in  the  state  of  Uttar  Pradesh  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:

Manikpur  Junction  station:  The  work  of  construction  of  new  G+1  service building including new waiting room and Government Railway Police (GRP) office,  approach  road,  parking  and  Public  Address  Systems  have  been completed.  The  work  of  improvement  of  station  building,  construction  of second  entry building, circulating area, Divyangjan facilities, lighting, sewage treatment plant and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.

Banda station: The works of platform surfacing, drain in circulating area and boundary wall in parking area have been completed. The work of entrance gate have been taken up.

Chitrakut Dham Karwi station: The works of improvement of station building, toilet, platform surfacing, main entrance gate, circulating area and landscaping have been completed.

Further  development  /  redevelopment  /  upgradation  /  modernisation  of stations  including  provision  of  passenger  amenities  at  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  /  modernisation  of  stations  including  under 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. The state of Uttar Pradesh is covered under the jurisdiction of five railway zones, namely East Central Railway, North Central  Railway,  Northern  Railway,  North  Eastern  Railway  and  West Central Railway. For these zones, an allocation of ₹ 4,358 crore has been made for the financial year 2025-26, out of which an expenditure (up to October, 2025) of       ₹ 2,288 crore has been incurred so far.

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. Therefore, no time frame can be indicated at this stage.

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