Former Lok Sabha Speaker and former Member of Indore Parliamentary constituency Sumitra Mahajan has harshly criticized Western Railway, advising it to focus on improving the railway infrastructure and passenger services of Indore. In the lengthy two-page detailed letter to the General Manager of Western Railway, Mahajan voiced dismay at the city’s long-pending railway demands.
In the letter dated 20th July, 2026, addressed to Indore, Sumitra Mahajan said that it seems Western Railway is treating Indore as an orphan, adding that it still looks like train inductions and connectivity of trains haven’t improved in Indore that much.
She noted that despite the Jaipur-Indore and Rewa-Indore train routes being sent for approval from other zones, their proposals have been on hold. She also brought to the notice of the government that the train rake of the MEMU train has been eliminated in the name of the Prime Minister’s ‘Amrit Vriksha initiative’ and instead replaced with old DEMU train rake which is causing inconvenience to passengers.
Mahajan also demanded that the Pune passenger train be restored as it has been missing for a long time. She also announced, raising demand for passengers, that trains would run more frequently to Patna and Guwahati.
The forester, who was also a member of the Majgam Committee, also appealed to the Railways to launch a local train between Mhow and Ujjain and also start an Ayodhya to Ujjain train for pilgrims.
Questioning the adequacy of railway facilities in Indore, the area has a population of nearly 40 lakh, Mahajan pointed out that Indore deserves for much better connectivity. She also said that more platforms and railway facilities already exist and it’s down to administrative will—not technicalities—needed to upgrade services.