Lok Sabha Question No. 1656 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-10
Subject: Rajdhani Express in Maharashtra
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh, Smt. Supriya Sule, Shri Sanjay Dina Patil, Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, Shri Bhaskar Murlidhar Bhagare

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1656 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.12.2025

## RAJDHANI EXPRESS IN MAHARASHTRA

1656.  SHRI SANJAY DINA PATIL:

SHRI BHASKAR MURLIDHAR BHAGARE:

SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH:

DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

PROF. VARSHA EKNATH GAIKWAD:

SMT. SUPRIYA SULE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  number  of  Rajdhani  Express  trains  currently  operating  through Maharashtra, particularly those connecting Mumbai with major cities, along with their routes, stoppages, and frequency;
- (b)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  feasibility  of  expanding Rajdhani Express services to other districts in Maharashtra that presently lack premium long-distance connectivity and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any proposals have been received from public representatives for introducing Rajdhani services from cities such as Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik, Pune and Solapur and if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon;
- (d) the details of the criteria adopted for introducing Rajdhani trains on new routes-such as demand assessment, track capacity, electrification, operational viability and rolling-stock availability-and whether high-demand or underserved regions in Maharashtra meet these criteria; and
- (e) details of the steps being taken to upgrade station, signalling and track infrastructure at major stations in Maharashtra to support future Rajdhani operations and reduce travel time?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (e) Rajdhani Express services, primarily connect the National Capital to  the  State  Capitals.  Accordingly,  the  following  03  Rajdhani  Express services are connecting Mumbai to the National Capital Delhi:

| Train no. and name                                                                | Commercial Stoppages enroute                                                                                |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12951/12952 Mumbai Central - Delhi Rajdhani Express (daily)                       | Borivali, Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam, Nagda, Kota                                                              |
| 12953/12954 Mumbai Central - Delhi Rajdhani Express (daily)                       | Borivali, Vapi, Valsad, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Dahod, Ratlam, Kota, Sawai Madhopur, Mathura              |
| 22221/22222 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus - Delhi Rajdhani Express (daily) | Kalyan, Nasik Road, Jalgaon Junction, Bhusaval, Bhopal, Virangana Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Gwalior, Agra Cantt. |

Nagpur is connected to Delhi by 34 pairs of regular train services, including 4  pairs  of  Rajdhani  and  3  pairs  of  Duronto  train  services  while  Nashik  is connected to Delhi by 5 pairs of regular train services, including 1 pair of Rajdhani services.

Similarly,  Pune-Delhi  sector  is  served  by  9  pairs  of  services  and  SolapurDelhi sector by 2 pairs of services. Presently, Aurangabad is being served by 60 train services.

Proposals/ requests/ suggestions/ representations, both formal and informal inter  alia  for  introduction  of  trains,  including  Rajdhani  Express  trains,  are received from Members of Parliament, elected representatives, organizations/rail users etc. at various levels including Railway Board, Zonal Railways,  Divisional  Office  etc.  As  receipt  of  such  proposals/  requests/ suggestions is a continuous and dynamic process, centralized compendium of  such  requests  is  not  maintained.  However,  these  are  examined  and action as found feasible and justified is taken from time to time, which is an on-going process.

Further,  as  the  railway  network  straddles  across  State  boundaries,  trains are  introduced,  as  per  network  requirement,  across  such  boundaries.

However,  introduction  of  new  train  services,  including  Rajdhani  Express services, to enhance connectivity, is an ongoing process on Indian Railways 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

Strengthening, upgradation, modernisation and Improvement of track infrastructure

Strengthening, upgradation, modernisation and Improvement of track infrastructure  is  a  continuous  and  ongoing  process  over  Indian  Railways including rail network situated in Maharashtra. The following measures are being taken by Indian Railways to upgrade railway tracks:

i. Modern track structure consisting of 60kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails, Wider and heavier Pre-stressed Concrete Sleepers (PSC) with elastic  fastening,  fan-shaped  layout  turnout  on  PSC  sleepers  and  Steel Channel/H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges are being used while carrying out primary track renewals.

ii. The Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossings are being used in turnout renewal works.

iii.  Supply  of  130m/260m  long  rail  panels  have  been  increased  to  avoid welding of joints. thereby improving safety.

iv. Thick Web Switch Expansion Joints are being used in place of earlier Conventional/Improved SEJs.

- V. Adoption of better welding technology for rails i.e. Flash Butt Welding.

vi.  Adoption  of  mechanized  system  for  track  maintenance  using  high output plain tamper and points & crossing tampers for improved maintainability & reliability of track.

vii. Deployment of state-of-the-art modern machines including Rail Grinding Machines to further improve asset reliability.

viii. Mechanisation of track laying activities through use of track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc.

ix.  Interlocking  of  Level  Crossing  (LC)  Gates  for  enhancing  safety  at LC gates.

- x. Use of advanced USFD testing technique of rail and welds by Phased Array technology.

xi.  Deployment  of  Integrated  Track  Monitoring  Systems  (ITMS)  and Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) for comprehensive health assessment to ascertain optimal maintenance requirements.

xii. Adoption of portable Track Measuring Trolley for continuous recording of track parameters in yards.

xiii. Using web enabled Track Management System (TMS) for integration and  data  analytics  of  the  track  inspection  records  received  through various sources to enable precise maintenance inputs.

## Redevelopment of 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,  1337  stations  have  been  identified  for  development  under  Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 132 stations are located in the state of Maharashtra. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in the state of Maharashtra are as following:

| State       |   No. of | Names of Amrit Stations                                                                                                                                                     |
|-------------|----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Maharashtra |      132 | Ahmednagar, Ajni (Nagpur), Akalkot Road, Akola, Akurdi, Amalner, Amgaon, Amravati, Andheri, Badnera, Balharshah, Bandra Terminus, Baramati, Belapur, Bhandara Road, Bhokar, |

Bhusawal, Borivali, Byculla, Chalisgaon, Chanda Fort, Chandrapur, Charni Road, Chhatrapati Sambhaji  Nagar,  Chhatrapati  Shivaji  Maharaj Terminus,  Chinchpokli,  Chinchwad,  Dadar  (CR), Dadar (WR), Dahisar, Daund, Dehu Road, Devlali, Dhamangaon, Dharangaon, Dharashiv, Dharmabad  ,  Dhule,  Diva,  Dudhani,  Gangakher, Godhani, Gondia, Grant Road, Hadapsar, Hatkanangale, Hazur Sahib Nanded, Himayatnagar, Hinganghat, Hingoli Deccan, Igatpuri, Jalgaon, Jalna, Jeur, Jogeshwari, Kalyan  Jn,  Kamptee,  Kandivali,  Kanjur  Marg, Karad, Katol, Kedgaon, Kinwat, Kopargaon, Kurduwadi Jn, Kurla Jn, Lasalgaon, Latur, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Lonand Jn, Lonavla, Lower Parel, Malad, Malkapur,  Manmad  Jn, Manwath  Road  ,  Marine  Lines,  Matunga,  Miraj Jn, Mudkhed Jn, Mumbai Central, Mumbra, Murtizapur Jn, Nagarsol, Nagpur Jn, Nandgaon, Nandura,  Nandurbar,  Narkher  Jn,  Nashik  Road, Netaji  Subhash  Chandra  Bose  Itwari  Junction, Pachora  Jn,  Palghar,  Pandharpur,  Panvel  Jn, Parbhani Jn, Parel, Parli Vaijnath, Partur , Phaltan, Prabhadevi, Pulgaon Jn, Pune Jn, Purna Jn, Raver, Rotegaon , Sainagar Shirdi, Sandhurst Road,  Sangli,  Satara,  Savda,  Selu,  Sewagram, Shahad, Shegaon, Shivaji Nagar Pune, Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus Kolhapur, Solapur, Talegaon, Thakurli, Thane, Titvala, Tumsar    Road,    Umri,      Uruli,   Vadala Road,

| Vidyavihar, Vikhroli, Wadsa, Wardha, Washim, Wathar   |
|-------------------------------------------------------|

Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in  the  state  of  Maharashtra  has  been  taken  up  at a  good pace. Details of works completed in the state of Maharashtra are as under:

| State       |   No. of | Name of Stations                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|-------------|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Maharashtra |       17 | Amgaon, Baramati, Chanda Fort, Chinchpokli, Devlali, Dhule, Kedgaon, Lasalgaon, Lonand Jn, Matunga, Murtizapur Jn, Nandura, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari Junction, Parel, Savda, Shahad, Vadala Road |

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

-  Wathar  station:  The  works  of  new  portico,  improvement  of  station building,  water  booth,  new  main  entry  gate,  parking  area,  circulating area,  improvement  of  entrance  lobby,  compound  wall  of  parking  area, platform  shelter  at  platform  no.  1,  platform  surfacing,  improvement  of waiting  room,  signages  and  station  illumination  have  been  completed. The finishing works have been taken up.
-    Nandgaon  station:  The  works  of  entrance  and  exit  gate,  platform surfacing,  platform  shelter,  improvement  of  station  building,  booking office,  Foot  Over  Bridge,  boundary  wall,  circulating  area,  parking  area, signage  and  lighting  have  been  completed.  The  finishing  works  have been taken up.

·  Hadapsar station: The works of new station building, waiting hall, 12 m Foot Over Bridge, underground tank, platform shelter, improvement of platform surfacing, circulating area, station illumination, signages, lifts, escalators  and  landscaping  have  been  completed.  The  finishing  works 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.  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  Maharashtra  is  covered  under  the  jurisdiction  of four railway zones, namely, Central Railway, South Central Railway, South East Central Railway and Western Railway. From the financial year 2021-22 to  2025-26  ₹  11,917  crore  has  been  allocated  while  an  expenditure  of  ₹ 9,826 crore has been incurred since 2021-22 till October, 2025.

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.

## Signalling system:

Indian  Railway  is  continuously  modernizing  current  infrastructure  of  its signalling system including rail network situated in Maharashtra as under:-

1. Electrical/Electronic Interlocking Systems with centralized operation of  points  and  signals  in  place  of  old  mechanical  signalling  have  been provided at 6656 stations as on 31.10.2025,
2. Interlocking of Level Crossing Gates (LC) has been provided at 10098 Level Crossing Gates upto 31.10.2025 for enhancing safety at LC Gate.
3. Complete Track Circuiting of stations to enhance safety for verification of track occupancy by electrical means has been provided at 6661 stations up to 31.10.2025.
4. Axle counters for automatic clearance of Block Section, BPAC (Block Proving Axle Counter) are provided to ensure complete arrival of train without manual intervention before granting line clear to receive next train and to reduce human element. These systems have been provided on 6142 Block Sections up to 31.10.2025.
5.  Automatic  Block  Signalling  (ABS)  enhances  line  capacity  within existing track infrastructure has been provided at 6341 Route km upto 31.10 2025
6.  Indian  Railways  has  also  gone  for  implementation  of  advance technology  system  "Kavach"  as  an  Automatic  Train  Protection  (ATP) system. Kavach is indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP)  system,  which  required  safety  certification  of  highest  order. Kavach has also boon adopted as a National ATP system in July 2020.

Railway projects

Railway projects are sanctioned Zonal Railway-wise and not State-wise as Indian  Railways'  projects  may  span  across  State  boundaries.    However, details of railway projects falling fully/ partly in the state of Maharashtra are as under:

Budget  allocation  during  the  last  five  years  has  increased  significantly. Budget  allocation  for  infrastructure  projects  and  safety  works,  falling fully/partly in the State of Maharashtra is as under:

| Period   | Outlay                              |
|----------|-------------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | ₹ 1,171 crore/year                  |
| 2025-26  | ₹ 23,778 crore (More than 20 times) |

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

| Period   | New track Commissioned   | Average commissioning of new tracks   |
|----------|--------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | 292 Km                   | 58.4 Km/year                          |
| 2014-25  | 2,292 Km                 | 208.4 Km/year (more than 3 times)     |

As on 01.04.2025, 38 projects (11 New Lines, 02 Gauge Conversion and 25 Doubling),  of  a  total  length  of  5,098  km,  costing  ₹  89,780  crore,  falling fully/partly in Maharashtra, are sanctioned. The summary is as under:-

| Category       | No. of sanctioned Projects   | Total Length (in Km)   | Length Commissione d Upto Mar'25 (Km)   | Exp upto Mar'25 (₹ in Cr.)   |
|----------------|------------------------------|------------------------|-----------------------------------------|------------------------------|
| New Line       | 11                           | 1,355                  | 234                                     | 10,504                       |
| Gauge          | 02                           | 609                    | 334                                     | 4,286                        |
| Conversion     |                              |                        |                                         |                              |
| Doubling/      | 25                           | 3,134                  | 1,792                                   | 24,617                       |
| Multi-tracking |                              |                        |                                         |                              |
| Total          | 38                           | 5,098                  | 2,360                                   | 39,407                       |

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

|   S.No. | Project                                     | Cost (₹ in crore)   |
|---------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|       1 | Pune-Miraj-Londa Doubling (467 Km)          | 4,670               |
|       2 | Manmad-Jalgaon 3rd line (160 Km)            | 2,574               |
|       3 | Jabalpur-Gondia Gauge Conversion (300 Km)   | 2,005               |
|       4 | Chhindwara-Nagpur Gauge Conversion (150 Km) | 1,512               |
|       5 | Panvel-Pen Doubling (35 Km)                 | 263                 |
|       6 | Pen-Roha Doubling (40 Km)                   | 330                 |
|       7 | Udhna-Jalgaon Doubling (307 Km)             | 2,448               |
|       8 | Mudkhed-Parbhani Doubling (81 Km)           | 673                 |
|       9 | Bhusawal-Jalgaon 3rd line (24 Km)           | 325                 |
|      10 | Jalgaon-Bhusawal 4th line (24 Km)           | 261                 |
|      11 | Daund-Gulbarga Doubling (225 Km)            | 3,182               |

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

|   Sl. | Name of the project                               | Cost (₹ In crore)   |
|-------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|     1 | Ahilyanagar-Beed-Parli Vaijnath New Line (261 Km) | 4,957               |
|     2 | Baramati-Lonand New Line (64 Km)                  | 1,844               |
|     3 | Wardha-Nanded New Line (284 Km)                   | 3,445               |
|     4 | Indore-Manmad New Line (360 Km)                   | 18,529              |
|     5 | Wadsa-Gadchiroli New Line (52 Km)                 | 1,886               |
|     6 | Jalna -Jalgaon New Line (174 Km)                  | 5,804               |
|     7 | Daund-Manmad Doubling (236 Km)                    | 3,037               |
|     8 | Kalyan-Kasara 3rd line (68 Km)                    | 1,433               |
|     9 | Wardha-Nagpur 3rd line (76 Km)                    | 698                 |
|    10 | Wardha-Ballarshah 3rd line (132 Km)               | 1,385               |
|    11 | Itarsi-Nagpur 3rd line (280 Km)                   | 2,450               |
|    12 | Rajnandgaon-Nagpur 3rd line (228 Km)              | 3,545               |
|    13 | Wardha-Nagpur 4th line (79 Km)                    | 1,137               |

|   14 | Jalgaon-Manmad 4th Line (160 Km)         | 2,574   |
|------|------------------------------------------|---------|
|   15 | Bhusawal-Khandwa 3rd & 4th Line (131 Km) | 3,285   |

Further, during  the last three years i.e. 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and the current financial year, 98 surveys (29 New Line, 2 Gauge Conversion and 67 Doubling)  of  total  length  8603  Km.  falling  fully/  partly  in  the  State  of Maharashtra,  have been sanctioned.

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 a particular project site etc.

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

*****