Over 1,300 stations being revamped under Amrit Bharat scheme: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Lok Sabha on Thursday that more than 1300 railway stations across India are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station SchemeHe described it as the worldrsquos largest station redevelopment programme and said it has transformed how India plans and upgrades railway infrastructureVaishnaw said that the initiative started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has moved far beyond the earlier practice of only repainting or minor repairsHe said that 160 stations have already been fully redeveloped while work is ongoing at many others Each station is being redesigned with a longterm master plan that includes local architectural styles entry points on both sides spacious passenger halls and foot overbridgesThe aim he said is to prepare stations for the next 50 yearsVaishnaw added that the redevelopment is also improving station surroundings This includes better access roads larger parking areas and more efficient passengerhandling facilities He gave the example of the holding area at New Delhi Railway Station which helped thousands of passengers wait comfortably during the Diwali and Chhath Puja rushHe also noted that cleanliness at stations has improved significantly compared with the situation 15 years ago setting a new benchmark for public spacesEarlier in June PM Modi launched redevelopment work for another 103 stations from Bikaner Rajasthan through video conferencing These stations will feature modern facades improved circulation space and sustainable designs as well as integration with other transport systems The government says the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is helping create modern worldclass railway hubs across the countryRailways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Parliament on Wednesday that the number of consequential train accidents has dropped from 135 in 201314 to 31 in 202425 and further down to only 10 in 202526 up to November this year reported the IANSHe said that between 2004 and 2014 Indian Railways recorded 1711 such accidents which was an average of 171 accidents every year The current numbers show a major improvement in safetyThe minister also pointed to a key safety indicator the Accidents Per Million Train Kilometre APMTKM This has reduced from 011 in 201415 to 003 in 202425 showing about 73 per cent improvement according to the IANSVaishnaw said that the government has greatly increased spending to improve railway safety The budget for safety measures has almost tripled rising from Rs 39463 crore in 201415 to more than Rs 116 lakh crore for 202526To prevent accidents caused by human error modern electrical and electronic interlocking systems with centralised signal operation have been installed at 6656 stations as of October 2025 Level crossing gates have also been interlocked at 10098 locations to strengthen safety Track circuiting which helps verify track occupancy through electrical systems mdash has been completed at 6661 stations as per the IANSwith IANS inputs