Asserting that Rajasthan has plenty of tourism potential, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said that the public transporter is contributing to this sector by providing better services to attract tourists, especially those from abroad.
Inaugurating the newly made gauge conversion between Sikar-Loharu section today through video-conferencing, the minister said it will boost better services from Delhi to Sikar for passengers especially foreigners who had to take long route for Shekhawati, the region which has the largest concentration of frescos in the world.
Since Rajasthan is the biggest state in the country, the Centre had approved a sum of Rs 2,450 crore for railway works in the current financial year which is about Rs 700 crore more than last year, he said.
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The upcoming Dedicated Freight Corridor would also play an important role in boosting economy of the state, Prabhu said.
The 122-km long Sikar-Loharu section has been converted from metre to broad gauge at a cost of Rs 260 crore in last two years since 2012.
A special bi-weekly express train between Sikar and Delhi (Sarai Rohilla station) was also flagged off by the Union Minister around 12:45 pm through remote control, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the North Western Railway said.
Two daily passenger trains between Sikar and Rewari would ply on this new broad gauge route to ease traffic from Shekhawati region covering Sikar district, and attract tourists, the CPRO said.
Rajasthan Co-operative Minister Ajay Singh, Sikar MP Sumedhanand Sarswati, Sikar MLA Ratanlal Jaldhari, Railway Board member A K Mittal, and other senior officials of North Western Railway were present on the occasion, the CPRO added.
