NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Indian Railways plans to complete 56 key existing projects over the next 26 months, starting February, to boost rail infrastructure, Railway Board chairman Mr Suneet Sharma has recently said.
The national transporter will focus on infrastructure projects such as building double-track railway lines, switching from one track gauge to another, and newlines. The thrust of the next fiscal is on infrastructure development, throughput enhancement, development of terminal facilities, augmentation of the speed of trains, signalling systems, improvement of passenger and user amenities, among others, he said.
“As far as new big projects are concerned, ₹40,932 crores have been allocated for new lines, ₹26,116 crores for doubling, ₹5,263 crores for traffic facilities and ₹7,122 crores for ROBs/RUBs (road over bridge and road under the bridge). Traffic facilities have seen a whopping 156% jump in allocation while new lines have got a 52% increase in allocation as compared to last year,” railway ministry’s statement said.
1,200 road over bridges, the road under bridges and subways this year. “These ROBs/RUBs are of vital importance for the public in cities and other areas where railway lines are passing through”, it said.
In the Union budget for 2021-22 announced on Monday, railways got the highest-ever total capital expenditure plan of ₹2.15 trillion, which comprises ₹1.07 trillion from budgetary support and the remaining from internal resources and extra-budgetary resources. The total Capex for 2020-21 is ₹1.61 trillion.
Railways have focused on the completion of existing projects quickly as well besides simultaneity working on the new projects announced,” Sharma said.
