Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Railway Minister, engaged in a virtual discussion with Northeast media representatives from New Delhi concerning the Railway Ministry’s budget allocation for 2024-25.
During the interaction, the Minister announced a historic capital investment allocation of Rs. 2.62 lakh crore for Railways, as stated in a press release by NFR CPRO Sabyasachi De. Of this, Rs. 1.08 lakh crore will be directed towards safety measures such as replacing old tracks, enhancing signalling systems, installing the Kavach system, and building Road Under Bridges/Road Over Bridges to replace existing level crossings.
Vaishnaw highlighted that the budget emphasizes new rolling stocks, including Amrit Bharat Trains, Vande Metro, and Vande Bharat Sleeper. The focus on safety, passenger comfort, capacity expansion, and infrastructure improvement remains a priority. The advanced ‘Kavach 4.0’ system has recently been approved and will be swiftly implemented.
The ‘Kavach 4.0’ system integrates hardware, software, optical fibre, telecom towers, on-track systems, stations, and data centre management, according to the Minister. Additionally, in response to the increasing demand for general coaches, the Railways plan to produce 2,500 general coaches this fiscal year, with an additional 10,000 to follow.
Vaishnaw revealed that the Gross Budget Allocation for N. F. Railway for FY 2024-25 is Rs. 14,183.69 crore. The allocation for the northeastern states is Rs. 10,376 crore, nearly five times the average allocation of Rs. 2,122 crore during 2009-14.
The GM mentioned that sufficient funds had been allocated for infrastructure and safety works compared to previous years. During 2023-24, 921 RKM of tracks were electrified, with a target of 1573 RKM for 2024-25, aiming to complete electrification across all northeastern states. An amount of Rs. 694.69 crore has been assigned for electrification over N. F. Railway.
This year’s budget showcases significant growth in various sectors for N. F. Railway, with approximately Rs. 8378.53 crore allocated for new line and doubling projects. Prioritizing safety and operations, Rs. 1305.07 crore has been designated for track renewal and bridge works, and Rs. 170 crore for signalling and telecom works. Furthermore, Rs. 537 crore has been allocated to enhance passenger amenities at stations. A total of 18 railway infrastructure projects covering 1,368 km with a total investment of Rs. 74,972 crore are ongoing across the northeastern region.
Notably, 60 N. F. Railway stations will be redeveloped with world-class facilities under the Amrit Bharat Stations Scheme. This includes 50 stations in Assam, 4 in Tripura, and 1 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 to enhance safety for road and rail users.
The budget aims to revolutionize the Railway infrastructure while ensuring safety. With unprecedented allocations, Northeast connectivity will improve significantly, furthering Indian Railways’ contribution to transforming the northeastern states.
(Northeast, Northeast News)
