New Delhi: Presenting the Union Budget 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that 400 new generation Vande Bharat trains with better efficiency will be brought in during the next 3 years. Under the PM Gati Shakti master plan, 100 Cargo terminals will also be developed during the next 3 years. She further stated that implementation of innovative ways for building metro systems will be undertaken.
In a recently addressed a joint session of Parliament, President Ram Nath Kovind said that the government is modernizing the Indian Railways at a fast pace. In the last seven years, 24,000 km of railway route has been electrified.
It is expected that the Centre may propose further electrification of a record 7,000 km railway track in the Budget. In the Union Budget, the Centre may allocate close to Rs 10,000 crore for electrification in FY22-23. Last year, the government had allocated Rs 7,452 crore for electrification projects in the Budget as part of its efforts to achieve full electrification of broad-gauge railway lines by the end of next year.
The Indian Railways earlier proposed a plan to become the world’s first 100 percent green railway system by 2030. Under the same, Railways targets electrification of all its routes by December 2023. As mentioned by President Kovind, already 24,000 km has been electrified and 7,000 km is expected this year.
