Railway stations in Gujarat's Dahod Lok Sabha constituency are seeing steady progress under the Centre's station redevelopment programme, according to a written response the Railways Ministry gave in Parliament.
The response came after Member of Parliament Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor asked the Railways Minister for details on the number of stations being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), the status of multimodal integration and tourism-related works, and whether the scheme's impact on passenger satisfaction and regional economic development had been assessed. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who holds charge of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & IT, responded on behalf of the ministry.
According to the reply, Dahod and Limkheda stations in the constituency have both been taken up under ABSS, and work at both locations has progressed at a good pace.
At Dahod station, the ministry said improvement works on the station building, porch, platform surfacing of platform number one, the booking counter, waiting hall, waiting room, pay-and-use toilet, circulating area, and entry and exit gates and signages have all been completed. A 12-metre foot over bridge is currently under construction.
At Limkheda station, work on a new station building, raising of platforms one and two, improved platform surfacing, toilets at platforms one and two-three, an upgraded circulating area, and entry and exit gates has been finished. Signage work and a six-metre foot over bridge are still underway.
The ministry also laid out what the scheme's master planning covers more broadly. This includes better access to stations and circulating areas, integrating stations with both sides of the city they serve, upgrading station buildings, improving waiting halls, toilets, seating and water booths, and adding wider foot over bridges or air concourses depending on passenger volumes. The plan also covers lifts, escalators and ramps, better platform surfaces and covers, kiosks under the "One Station One Product" scheme for local goods, expanded parking, amenities for persons with disabilities, improved passenger information systems, and, where needed, executive lounges and spaces for business meetings.
The ministry added that the scheme also factors in sustainable and environment-friendly construction, ballastless tracks where feasible, and a longer-term vision of turning stations into city centres that drive economic activity in the surrounding area, alongside a better travel experience for passengers.
On scale, the ministry said 1,337 stations have been identified for redevelopment under ABSS across the country, of which 87 are in Gujarat. These span major junctions and smaller stations alike, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Somnath, Dwarka, Palanpur, Mahesana, Nadiad, Anand, Bharuch, Navsari, Veraval and Porbandar, among others.
Of these, the ministry confirmed that works at 21 Gujarat stations have already been completed. These are Dakor, Derol, Godhra Junction, Hapa, Jam Jodhpur, Jamwanthali, Kanalus Junction, Karamsad, Khambhaliya, Kosamba Junction, Limbdi, Mahuva, Mithapur, Morbi, Okha, Palitana, Porbandar, Rajula Junction, Samakhiyali, Sihor Junction and Utran.
The response also gave a status update on a few other stations in progress. At Asarva, the new station building, porch, waiting room, booking counter and toilet block are complete, while work on a new platform shelter, platform surfacing, circulating area, parking, facilities for persons with disabilities and finishing work on the concourse area is ongoing. At Himmatnagar, work on a new station building, upgrades to the existing structure, a water booth, toilet, circulating area, parking and a 12-metre foot over bridge is underway. At Sehore, platform surfacing, platform shelter, waiting hall, toilet, circulating area, approach road, signage and station lighting have been completed, with a 12-metre foot over bridge still in progress.
On funding, the ministry said station redevelopment work, including under ABSS, is generally financed under Plan Head-53, which covers customer amenities. This spending is tracked zone-wise rather than by individual stations or states. Gujarat falls under two railway zones North Western Railway and Western Railway for which a combined allocation of INR 2,081 crore was made for the 2025-26 financial year. Of this, INR 1,820 crore had been spent as of January 2026.
The ministry noted that redevelopment work of this nature is complex, since it involves passenger and train safety and requires clearances covering fire safety, heritage structures, tree cutting and airport proximity, depending on the site. Execution timelines can also be affected by brownfield-specific issues such as relocating utilities like water and sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipelines and power or signal cables, along with the need to keep trains running without disruption and speed restrictions near active worksites and high-voltage lines.
On the tourism front, the ministry pointed to the Bharat Gaurav Trains policy, issued in November 2021, under which theme-based tourist trains are run to showcase India's cultural heritage and historical sites. Under this policy, service providers have the flexibility to design themes and itineraries for these trains based on market demand and commercial viability, covering tourist circuits in any part of the country.
The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme itself was launched by the Railways Ministry in February 2023, with the stated aim of upgrading stations in phases rather than through one-time redevelopment, allowing works to continue without disrupting regular train operations. It runs alongside the more capital-intensive station redevelopment projects, such as those at New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Surat, which involve a complete overhaul of station infrastructure.
The Dahod constituency's experience reflects the pattern seen across much of Gujarat's 87 identified stations: steady, phase-wise upgrades to passenger amenities rather than a single large-scale overhaul. With 21 stations in the state already completed and several others, including Asarva, Himmatnagar and Sehore, in active stages of construction, the scheme's progress appears consistent with its stated design. The funding data shared by the ministry also gives a clearer sense of how much of the allocated budget for the two railway zones covering Gujarat has actually been utilised so far. Whether these upgrades translate into the intended gains in regional economic activity will likely become clearer as more stations near completion in the months ahead.
Source: PIB