A CAG audit found that 458 of 512 inspected non-suburban railway stations, or more than 89%, lacked one or more prescribed passenger amenities.
The deficiencies included drinking water, seating, toilets, platform shelters, fans, water coolers and signage.
The audit also found drinking water quality concerns, including chlorine levels outside the prescribed range and the presence of total coliform bacteria, including E coli, at several stations.
Between 36% and 44% of the budget grant for passenger amenities remained unspent each year between 2019-20 and 2023-24, despite the availability of funds.
Passenger amenities appear to have taken a back seat in the functioning of Indian Railways. The latest audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found that nearly 90 per cent of non-suburban railway stations lacked the amenities prescribed for passengers, while drinking water supplied at several stations was found to be contaminated or inadequately tested.
“Out of 512 stations inspected, 458 stations (more than 89 per cent) were deficient in one or more Minimum Essential Amenities (MEAs), including drinking water, seating, toilets, platform shelters, fans, water coolers and signage,” finds the CAG’s Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Passenger amenities and sanitation at non-suburban railway stations in Indian Railways, released August 12, 2026.
The audit covered the period from 2019-20 to 2023-24 and examined facilities at India’s 5,908 non-suburban railway stations. These stations operate more than 7,424 passenger trains and carry 2,924 million passengers — more than twice India’s total population.
Indian Railways has detailed norms for passenger amenities, first codified by the Railway Board in 1952 and later revised in April 2018. But the CAG said its audit revealed “persistent and widespread deficiencies” across the railway network in its report.
Finding amenities according to prescribed norms turns out to be exceptional. Of the 512 stations inspected, 458, or more than 89 per cent, were deficient in one or more Minimum Essential Amenities. These included drinking water, seating, toilets, platform shelters, fans, water coolers and signage.
Only 54 of the 512 sampled stations, spread across 13 railway zones, had “no shortfall” against the prescribed norms for passenger amenities, the audit found. The CAG said an analysis of the Passenger Amenities Management System data from February 2025 showed that deficiencies persisted across all station categories and railway zones. This indicated “systemic gaps rather than isolated cases”, the report said. “Audit further observed that no time-bound action plans were prepared for bridging gaps in recommended and desirable amenities, contrary to Railway Board instructions.”
The CAG also flagged concerns over the quality of drinking water supplied at railway stations. It said inspections of water supply systems were not carried out as frequently as prescribed. There were also shortfalls in testing drinking water for residual chlorine, bacteriological contamination and chemical parameters, the audit found.
“Sanitation infrastructure also remained deficient marked by non-functional toilets, inadequate facilities in pay-and-use, and the continued existence of unauthorised entry points affecting cleanliness and safety,” the audit said.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had earlier directed Indian Railways to create station-wise webpages listing information on amenities, sanitation practices and action plans. But the CAG found that the direction had not been complied with. “As of March 2024, no Zone had operationalised such webpages,” the audit said.
On the quality of water supplied at railway stations, the CAG audit flags public health safety threats. “Low/high level of chlorine in drinking water, presence of total coliform bacteria, including E coli bacteria, as well as deficiencies in parameters tested indicated unsatisfactory quality of drinking water at stations,” the report said.
The audit cited test results from water samples taken by railway health inspectors. It found that drinking water had chlorine levels outside the prescribed range of 0.2 parts per million to 0.5 parts per million at 135 stations across all 16 zones during 2022-23, and at 139 stations across 15 zones during 2023-24.
Residual chlorine levels were outside the prescribed range in more than 50 per cent of tests conducted at 63 stations across 11 zones. The CAG also cited test results of drinking water samples collected from taps on platforms. “Residual chlorine level was not within the range of 0.2 ppm to 0.5 ppm in over 50 per cent of total tests conducted,” it said,
These showed the presence of total coliform bacteria, including E coli, at 49 stations across eight zones during 2022-23 and at 56 stations across nine zones during 2023-24.
The “systemic” nature of the deficiencies behind the near collapse of passenger amenities at railway stations is further underscored by another audit finding: even the dedicated funds meant for these amenities have not been adequately utilised.
“Despite repeated assurances and availability of funds, there was persistent underutilisation of Budget Grant for provision of passenger amenities, ranging between 36 per cent and 44 per cent during 2019–20 to 2023–24, even in non-COVID years, highlighting deficiencies in planning and execution rather than financial constraints,” says the CAG audit.