Rs 8378.53 crore allocated for new line and doubling projects for northeast: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav

In a virtual interaction with Northeast media representatives from Delhi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Minister for railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, detailed the substantial allocation for the Railway Ministry in the General Budget 2024-25. 

The minister highlighted a historic capital investment allocation of Rs. 2.62 lakh crores for the Railways, with Rs. 1.08 lakh crores earmarked for crucial safety enhancements, including track replacements, signaling system upgrades, Kavach system installations, and the construction of Road Under Bridges/Road Over Bridges to replace existing level crossings.

Minister Vaishnaw emphasized the budget's focus on introducing new rolling stock such as Amarit Bharat Trains, Vande Metro, and Vande Bharat Sleeper. The budget prioritizes passenger safety, comfort, capacity augmentation, and infrastructure improvement. The advanced ‘Kavach 4.0’ system, combining hardware, software, optical fiber, telecom towers, on-track systems, stations, and data center administration, has recently received approval and will be rapidly deployed. To meet the rising demand for general coaches, the railways will manufacture 2,500 general coaches this fiscal year and an additional 10,000 general coaches.

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For the FY 2024-25, the Gross Budget Allocation for the Northeast Frontier (N.F.) Railway is Rs. 14,183.69 crores, with Rs. 10,376 crores allocated to northeastern states, a fivefold increase from the average allocation of Rs. 2,122 crores during 2009-14. The General Manager of N.F. Railway announced that funds for infrastructure and safety-related projects have increased significantly compared to previous years. Electrification of 921 Route Kilometer (RKM) was completed in 2023-24, and the target for 2024-25 is to electrify 1,573 RKM, completing the electrification of all northeastern states. Rs. 694.69 crores have been allocated for electrification works over N.F. Railway.

The budget allocation shows unprecedented growth across various segments for N.F. Railway. Approximately Rs. 8,378.53 crores are allocated for new line and doubling projects, Rs. 1,305.07 crores for track renewal and bridge works, and Rs. 170 crores for signaling and telecom works. Additionally, Rs. 537 crores have been allocated to enhance passenger amenities at station premises. Eighteen railway infrastructure projects covering 1,368 kilometers with a total investment of Rs. 74,972 crores are ongoing across the northeastern region.

Under the Amrit Bharat Stations Scheme, 60 stations of N.F. Railway will be redeveloped with world-class facilities, including 50 in Assam, four in Tripura, and one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim. Since 2014, a record 470 Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges have been constructed over N.F. Railway, replacing existing level crossings to enhance road and rail safety.