Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted on Friday that there are no plans for privatising the Indian Railways. The national transporter’s goal is to offer affordable services for all citizens. While addressing the Railway Protection Force Raising Day event, he mentioned that the motive is to provide comfortable travel for commuters up to 1,000 kilometers in less than Rs 400. Vaishnaw underlined a major transformation of the railways in the upcoming five years with trains like Namo Bharat, Vande Bharat and the implementation of the Kavach train protection mechanism. The railway minister stressed the fact that this period will mark the ”era of transformation” for the Indian Railways.
Clarification on the rumours of privatisation
The minister rejected rumours related to privatization and stated, ”Railways and defense are the two backbones of India and both should be kept away from the politics.” He praised PM Narendra Modi for putting an end to the politicization of the railways and shifting the focus in the direction of performance, technology, safety, and affordability.
All about investment & projects in Maharashtra
Vaishnaw mentioned that the railways budget has been allocated Rs 2.5 lakh crore, in which 31,000 kilometers of new track have already been laid out in the last 10 years. It has also been recorded to surpass France’s rail network. He also stated that around 3,000 new train services are slated to be launched in the span of the next six years and investments are also lined up for Maharashtra. The upcoming projects include Rs 15,940 crore for railway purposes and Rs 33,000 crore for Maharashtra’s bullet train.
Moreover, major projects are underway like the Rs 7,000 crore initiative for interlinking Marathwada to port facilities and the sanction for the Indore-Mumbai and Jalna-Jalgaon direct connectivity projects. Around 132 stations in Maharashtra under the Amrit Bharat station scheme have been identified for development. The railway minister also shared an update on Nashik-Shirdi South rail line and plans for connecting Nashik with Dahanu which will result in boosting connectivity of the forthcoming Vadhvan mega port.
In terms of RPF, a total of Rs 35 crore has been granted for the upgradation of the force’s zonal centres and various other service-related demands. Railways are also looking into the demand for designed coaches for the transportation of agricultural goods from North Maharashtra.
(With inputs from PTI)