Railways get record Budget support for projects across states: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said record allocations have been made for his ministry in the Budget to complete pending projects and undertake new works in all states for people's benefit.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced budgetary support of ₹2.78 trillion and a total capital expenditure of ₹2.93 trillion for the Railways.

She also proposed seven high-speed corridors connecting major cities and a new EastWest Dedicated Freight Corridor between Dankuni in West Bengal and Surat in Gujarat.

Providing reporters with a state-wise breakup of expenses earmarked for railway projects from the total capital expenditure outlay, Vaishnaw noted that Uttar Pradesh will receive ₹20,012 crore, Rajasthan ₹10,228 crore, Madhya Pradesh ₹15,188 crore, Chhattisgarh ₹7,470 crore, and Maharashtra ₹24,000 crore.

 

He also mentioned allocation figures for several other states and ongoing projects to state that these amounts are several times higher than those made 10 years ago during the Congress rule.

"We had promised projects worth ₹1 trillion in Uttar Pradesh. Now, projects worth ₹92,000 crore are underway in the state," Vaishnaw said.

He mentioned the seven bullet train projects and one dedicated freight corridor announced in the Budget and said these would benefit multiple states.

About the proposed DelhiVaranasi and VaranasiSiliguri high-speed corridors, he said these bullet train routes would connect major cities of Uttar Pradesh and create several economic opportunities.

"Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 157 stations are being redeveloped, and four pairs of Amrit Bharat trains have been made operational so far," the railway minister said.

Similarly, 85 stations in Rajasthan are at various stages of redevelopment, and several new trains have been introduced for the benefit of the state's residents, he added.

Outlining the benefits of the MumbaiPune and PuneHyderabad bullet train projects, Vaishnaw said the former would effectively make Mumbai and Pune function as one city, while the latter would bring two major IT hubs closer than ever.

He also shared details of several upcoming projects in Chhattisgarh that will be completed in the coming years, and said these would bring many tribal areas of the state onto the national rail network.

Speaking on the proposed EastWest Dedicated Freight Corridor, Vaishnaw said it would start from Dankuni in West Bengal and pass through Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra to reach Surat in Gujarat.

"It will provide connectivity to the Vadhavan Port (in Maharashtra's Palgarh), which will become one of the largest ports in the world."  Focusing on projects of strategic importance, he said that detailed project reports are being prepared for the extension of rail lines to Uri and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir, while rapid progress is being made on the RishikeshKarnaprayag project in Uttarakhand.

"BJP-ruled states are cooperating very well with the Railways for the development of existing projects," Vaishnaw added.