Focus on Doubling, Electrification, and Passenger Safety; Conversion of 40,000 Coaches to Vande Bharat Standards Planned
NEW DELHI (Economy India): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired a meeting in New Delhi to review the Ministry of Railways’ capital expenditure for the fiscal year 2024-25. Emphasizing the ease of living for citizens, she called for accelerating projects such as doubling and electrification of existing railway tracks, and laying new railway lines.
Railways’ Capital Plans
During the meeting, railway officials provided an update on the ministry’s capital expenditure plans and progress. Highlighting the government’s focus on enhancing transportation efficiency and reducing logistics costs, officials discussed projects under the PM Gati Shakti program. This includes three major economic railway corridors—Energy, Minerals & Cement Corridor, Port Connectivity Corridor, and High Traffic Density Corridor.
Railway authorities informed the minister that 434 railway projects have been identified across these corridors, with a total investment plan of ₹11.16 lakh crore. So far, 55 projects spanning 5,723 kilometers have been approved, with an investment of ₹1.03 lakh crore.
Kavach System Implementation
Sitharaman stressed the need for speeding up the implementation of India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, “Kavach.” Currently, this system is being rolled out on the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai sections covering more than 3,000 route kilometers. The Kota-Sawai Madhopur section has successfully implemented the Kavach 4.0 version, with 108 kilometers operational as of September 16, 2024.
Vande Bharat Coach Conversion
One of the key announcements from the interim budget was the conversion of 40,000 general railway coaches to Vande Bharat standards to enhance passenger safety and comfort. Sitharaman urged officials to expedite this conversion to meet the set targets.
Emphasis on Timely Execution
Sitharaman concluded the meeting by encouraging the railway ministry to ensure that capital expenditure goals for FY 2024-25 are met within the timelines, maintaining the momentum achieved in the first 100 days of the government.
(Economy India)
