Four J&K railway stations identified for Amrit Bharat makeover: Vaishnaw

New Delhi, Dec 17: The Ministry of Railways Wednesday said that it has identified four railway stations in Jammu and Kashmir for redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the stations selected for redevelopment in Jammu and Kashmir includes Budgam, Jammu Tawi, Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra.
He informed that works have been completed at 160 stations across Indian Railways.
“In Jammu and Kashmir, significant works have been completed at Budgam, Jammu Tawi and Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan stations, while additional facilities are currently under execution,” Vaishnaw said.
The minister said redevelopment and upgradation of stations is a continuous process and is undertaken based on priorities, station categories and availability of funds.
Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, a total of 1,337 railway stations across the country have been identified so far for redevelopment through phased implementation of station-specific master plans.
The scheme aims to improve passenger amenities and overall station infrastructure, including access and circulating areas, station buildings, waiting halls, toilets, seating and drinking water facilities.
Other planned interventions include wider foot overbridges or air concourses based on passenger traffic, lifts, escalators, ramps, improved platforms and shelters, parking facilities and multimodal integration.
The minister said the scheme also provides for kiosks for local products under initiatives such as ‘One Station One Product’, amenities for Divyangjans, improved passenger information systems, executive lounges and landscaping.
Vaishnaw added that timelines for completion cannot be fixed at this stage due to operational and statutory challenges associated with brownfield projects.
Redevelopment under the scheme is funded under Plan Head-53 for customer amenities. For the financial year 2025–26, an allocation of Rs 12,118 crore has been made, of which Rs 7,253 crore has been spent up to October 2025. (KNO)