Agra:A meeting was held under the chairmanship of the General Manager with MPs and their representatives at the Taj Convention Hotel in Agra on Friday regarding the expansion of rail facilities and resolution of passenger problems in the Agra division of North Central Railway. In this, many important demands were raised including stopping of Gatimaan Express at Mathura Junction, construction of foot overbridge to connect platform numbers one, two, eight, nine and ten. Public representatives gave suggestions for operation of new trains, increasing stoppages and trips of trains, redevelopment of stations, improving safety, cleanliness and passenger facilities.
Financial and developmental progress of Agra division
In the meeting, General Manager of North Central Railway, Naresh Pal Singh said that Railways is playing an important role in the development of the country. North Central Railway connects major regions of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan with other parts of the country. Agra division holds special importance due to its location on major railway routes. Adequate budget, monitoring and modern technology are being used to complete the railway projects on time. He said that in the financial year 2025-26, Agra division earned passenger income of Rs 729.92 crore and freight income of Rs 548.87 crore from 353.07 lakh passengers. Agra Cantt and Mathura Junction have been included in the station redevelopment plan. Of the 15 stations selected under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, work on six has been completed, while work on others is in progress.
Janardan Sharma, representative on behalf of Mathura MP Hema Malini, suggested building a foot overbridge towards Agra to connect platform numbers one, two, eight, nine and ten at Mathura Junction. Keeping in view the convenience of passengers and public interest, he demanded to stop Gatimaan Express at Mathura Junction. On behalf of Rajya Sabha MP Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, it was suggested to operate Vande Bharat Express number 22470 six days a week and stop at Mathura. He also demanded to stop train number 22222 at Mathura station. In view of the increasing number of passengers during the Pandit Deendayal Smriti Mela Mahotsav, a suggestion was also made to run additional trains.
Rejuvenation of stations and Amrit Bharat Yojana
Fatehpur Sikri MP Rajkumar Chahar raised the demand for extension of Etawah-Agra Cantt MEMU train number 64624 to Bandikui, installation of water coolers at halts and all stations and setting up of One Station One Product (OSOP) stall for petha-namkeen products of Fatehpur Sikri. It was also suggested to reconsider the structure and design of the underpass to overcome the problem of waterlogging. Agra MP and Union Minister of State Prof. SP Singh Baghel suggested to stop Kanpur-Delhi Shatabdi Express at Tundla station and stop the train at Phaphund station for the convenience of petrochemical employees of NGPC/GAIL. He also demanded to increase the frequency of Agra-Etah train service and to give stoppage at Avagarh.
Etawah MP Jitendra Kumar Dohra suggested to install passenger shed and disabled parking at Udimod station, platform bench at Jaitpura and halt at Bahadurpura village. He demanded to give stoppage to Khatushyam to Lalgarh Express and ensure stoppage of Vande Bharat Express No. 22415 and Jammu Mail No. 20433 at Etawah station in both directions. The issue of maintenance of old railway houses was also raised.
Rajya Sabha MP Naveen Jain suggested increasing the seating arrangement according to the length of the platform, opening inquiry centers on all platforms, increasing the number of RO water coolers and increasing the number of toilets for the convenience of passengers. Along with ensuring 24-hour cleanliness at the stations, he demanded to start regular train service between Agra-Indore and to run trains from Agra Cantt to the religious city of Ujjain. Kaptan Singh, representative on behalf of Union Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary, suggested to stop trains at Jalesar Road station and build railway overbridges at LC-37 Mathura Gate and LC-31 Ikran Gate.
Improvement in passenger amenities, safety and infrastructure
In the meeting, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Ankit Gupta gave a presentation of the ongoing development works in Agra division. Public representatives also stressed on increasing the capacity of the rail network, strengthening security arrangements, crowd management and better maintenance of the station premises. The meeting was conducted by Deputy General Manager Atul Mishra. Divisional Railway Manager Gagan Goyal, Principal Head of Department of North Central Railway Headquarters, Divisional Branch Officer and other officers were present. The vote of thanks was given by Divisional Railway Manager Gagan Goyal.