Mumbai, 11 February 2026

 

 

 

Indian Railways in its endeavour to provide safer and better travel experience to the passengers, undertakes infrastructural and maintenance-related works. To facilitate these works, partial cancellation, cancellation and diversion of some trains are necessitated. Accordingly, during 2025–26, a few trips of trains passing through Hingoli Deccan station were cancelled and trains were diverted. However, these are restored back once the works are complete.

Hingoli Deccan is served by 38 train services providing connectivity to cities like Nagpur, Pune, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hazur Sahib Nanded, Tirupati, Kacheguda, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow).

Besides, provision of stoppage of train services, depends on the traffic justification, operational feasibility including availability of extra time on the section & availability of matching infrastructure such as Platform length etc.

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme

Further, to provide better amenities at 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 this scheme, out of which 132 stations including Himayatnagar, Hingoli Deccan and Kinwat stations of Hingoli Lok Sabha Constituency, are located in Maharashtra. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Maharashtra are as following:

Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Maharashtra have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 17 stations (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) in Maharashtra 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:

• Himayatnagar station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, improvement of platform surface, waiting hall, toilet, circulating area and lift have been taken up.
•  Hingoli Deccan station: The works of platform shelter and improvement of platform surface of platform no. 2 have been completed. The works of new station building, improvement of existing station building, platform surface of platform no. 1, circulating area, lift and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.
•  Kinwat station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, improvement of platform surface, waiting hall, toilet, circulating area, lift and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.
• Washim station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, improvement of platforms, platform shelter, improvement of waiting hall, toilet, circulating area, lift and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.
•  Manwath Road station: The work of platform shelter has been completed. The works of improvement to station building, entrance porch, platform surfacing, waiting hall, toilet and lift have been taken up.

Further, development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations on Indian Railways including provision for toilet, drinking water, lighting, Foot Over Bridge, platforms etc. 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 the category of station/condition/traffic handled etc.

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.

Suggestions / Representations, both formal and informal for Railway projects / Works across the country are received on the basis of demands raised by State Governments, Members of Parliament, Ministries of Central Government, elected representatives, Railways' own requirements, organizations / rail users etc., at various levels including Railway Board, Zonal Railways, Division Office etc. Receipt of such suggestions / representations is a continuous and dynamic process and these are examined and action as found feasible and justified is taken from time to 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. Maharashtra is covered under the jurisdiction of four railway zones, namely, Central Railway, South Central Railway, South East Central Railway and Western Railway. For these zones, an allocation of ₹ 3,834 crore has been made for the financial year 2025-26, out of which an expenditure (up to December, 2025) of ₹ 3,122 crore has been incurred so far.

Safety:

Safety is accorded the highest priority on Indian Railways. As a consequence of various safety measures taken over the years, including those for level crossings, there has been a steep decline in the number of accidents.

Number of Consequential Train Accidents has reduced as shown in the table below:-

Another important index showing improvement in safety in train operations is Consequential Accidents Index, the details of which are as under:-

Consequential Accident Index:-

This index measures the number of consequential accidents as a ratio of total running Kilometers of all trains.

The various safety measures taken to enhance safety in train operations are as under:-

1. On Indian Railways, the expenditure on Safety related activities has increased over the years as under:-

2. Electrical/Electronic Interlocking Systems with centralized operation of points and signals have been provided at 6,660 stations up to 31.12.2025 to reduce accidents due to human failure.
3. Interlocking of Level Crossing (LC) Gates has been provided at 10,097 Level Crossing Gates up to 31.12.2025 for enhancing safety at LC Gates.
4. Complete Track Circuiting of stations to enhance safety by verification of track occupancy by electrical means has been provided at 6,665 stations up to 31.12.2025.
5. Kavach is a highly technology intensive system, which requires safety certification of highest order. Kavach was adopted as a National ATP system in July 2020. Based on deployment of Kavach version 3.2 on 1465 RKm on South Central Railway and experience gained, further improvements were made. Finally, Kavach specification version 4.0 was approved by RDSO on 16.07.2024. After extensive and elaborate trials, Kavach Version 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on 1297 Route Kilometres, covering the high density Delhi - Mumbai and Delhi - Howrah routes. On the Delhi - Mumbai route Kavach ver 4.0 has been commissioned on Junction cabin - Palwal - Mathura - Nagda section (667 Rkm) & Ahmedabad - Vadodara - Virar section (432 Rkm) and on the Delhi - Howrah route on Gaya - Sarmatanr (93 Rkm) and Bardhaman - Howrah section (105 Rkm).
6. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Signalling, e.g. mandatory correspondence check, alteration work protocol, preparation of completion drawing, etc. have been issued.
7. System of disconnection and reconnection for S&T equipment as per protocol has been re-emphasized.
8. All locomotives are equipped with Vigilance Control Devices (VCD) to improve alertness of Loco Pilots.
9. Retro-reflective sigma boards are provided on the mast which is located two OHE masts prior to the signals in electrified territories to alert the crew about the signal ahead when visibility is low due to foggy weather.
10. A GPS based Fog Safety Device (FSD) is provided to loco pilots in fog affected areas which enables loco pilots to know the distance of the approaching landmarks like signals, level crossing gates, etc.
11. Modern track structure consisting of 60 kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails, Prestressed Concrete Sleeper (PSC) Normal/Wide base sleepers with elastic fastening, fan shaped layout turnout on PSC sleepers, Steel Channel/H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges is used while carrying out primary track renewals.
12. Mechanisation of track laying activity through use of track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc. to reduce human errors.
13. Maximizing supply of 130m/260m long rail panels for increasing progress of rail renewal and avoiding welding of joints, thereby improving safety.
14. Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD) testing of rails to detect flaws and timely removal of defective rails.
15. Laying of longer rails, minimizing the use of Alumino Thermic Welding and adoption of better welding technology for rails i.e., Flash Butt Welding.
16. Monitoring of track geometry by OMS (Oscillation Monitoring System) and TRC (Track Recording Cars).
17. Patrolling of railway tracks to look out for weld/rail fractures.
18. The use of Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossing in turnout renewal works.
19. Inspections at regular intervals are carried out to monitor and educate staff for observance of safe practices.
20. Web based online monitoring system of track assets viz. Track database and decision support system has been adopted to decide rationalized maintenance requirements and optimize inputs.
21. Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of Track, e.g. integrated block, corridor block, worksite safety, monsoon precautions, etc. have been issued.
22. Preventive maintenance of railway assets (Coaches & Wagons) is undertaken to ensure safe train operations.
23. Replacement of conventional ICF design coaches with LHB design coaches is being done.
24. All unmanned level crossings (UMLCs) on the Broad Gauge (BG) route have been eliminated by January 2019.
25. Safety of Railway Bridges is ensured through regular inspection of Bridges. The requirement of repair/rehabilitation of Bridges is taken up based upon the conditions assessed during these inspections.
26. Indian Railways has displayed Statutory “Fire Notices” for widespread passenger information in all coaches. Fire posters are provided in every coach so as to educate and alert passengers regarding various Do’s and Don’ts to prevent fire. These include messages regarding not carrying any inflammable material, explosives, prohibition of smoking inside the coaches, penalties etc.
27. Production Units are providing Fire detection and suppression systems in newly manufactured Power Cars and Pantry Cars, Fire and Smoke detection systems in newly manufactured coaches. Progressive fitment of the same in existing coaches is also underway by Zonal Railways in a phased manner.
28. Regular counselling and training of staff is undertaken.
29. Concept of Rolling Block introduced in Indian Railways (Open Lines) General Rules vide Gazette notification dated 30.11.2023, wherein work of integrated maintenance/ repair/replacement of assets is planned up to 52 weeks in advance on rolling basis and executed as per plan.                                                                               

The details of the Safety related works related to better maintenance practices, Technological improvements, better infrastructure and rolling stock etc. undertaken by Railways are tabulated below:-

This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

 

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