Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda to transform the Indian railways has worked well in the first five years of his governance. With the launch of several faster trains and upgradation of existing ones, and inclusion of several passengers-oriented measures so far have managed to give a better look to the Indian railways—the fourth largest railway network in the world by size. Now, all eyes are on the first budget of Modi 2.0 government.
When Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the 2019-20 budget on July 5, she will also unveil the railway budget. Modi government, in 2016, had done away with the 92-year-old practice of presenting the railway and general budgets separately.
In the last five years of Narendra Modi government, Indian Railways has seen a huge jump in its capital expenditure, as budget outlay has increased from Rs 96,000 crore (2015-16) to Rs 1.48 lakh crore (2018-19). In the interim budget, Rs 64,587 crore was allocated for the Indian Railways to expand the railway infrastructure in the country.
READ: Budget 2019: Real estate sector's expectations from Modi 2.0
While safety would be the prime focus of the upcoming railway budget, introduction of new trains equipped with world-class passenger amenities are also expected in the year, to make rail journeys more attractive at par with air travel.
While presenting the interim budget in February, minister Piyush Goyal had said that 2018-19 was the safest year in the history of Indian Railways. This has been achieved thanks to the removal of unmanned railway crossings across all the broad gauge tracks.
Several other steps, including safety drives, installation of CCTVs and maintenance of tracks were also taken into consideration to make trains more safer. This time, too, such initiatives are being expected on the safety front.
READ: Budget 2019: Ailing auto sector seeks redemption; expects EV, BS-VI push
After the introduction of the country’s first semi-high speed and engine-less self-propelled train Vande Bharat, more such trains are being expected from the budget. Equipped with world-class passenger amenities, Vande Bharat was launched in February between New Delhi and Varanasi, and rail authorities are working on to introduce similar trains on other routes as well.
also read
- Dense fog disrupts over 50 trains in Delhi; stranded passengers endure cold weather
- Will your train ticket price go up after Indian Railways fare revision from Dec 26? What you need to know
- New Railway rules: Check RAC status 10 hours before journey
- Indian Railways close to 100% electrification of broad-gauge network
Other superfast trains like Humsafar—a fully air-conditioned 3AC service with the option of meals, Tejas with speeds up to 130 km per hour and onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine and Wi-Fi, and Uday (Utkrishit Double-decker Air-conditioned Yatri) Express—an overnight double-decker train, were launched in the last tenure of the Modi government. The Modi government has been taking several steps to make India the world's first nation to have its entire railway network on electricity.
Another major project under the previous Modi government was the bullet train, a high-speed train connecting the business cities of Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The project is estimated to cost Rs 108,000 crore. Initially, six trains are supposed to be acquired and assembled with assistance from Japanese bullet train manufacturer Shinkansen. The project is 80 per cent funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has been assigned to build the tracks and run the bullet train on a 508-km stretch.
So far, acquisition has been the issue, as not all the land needed for the track has been acquired. Though the deadline to start running the bullet train is 2023, there is still no clarity on when the trains would be made. At the same time, six more such corridors are also to be planned.
According to a Care Ratings report, a special package for the coal sector for the development of railway infrastructure near mines are required for speedy evacuation and transportation. Sitharaman is expected to address this critical issue in her railway budget. Another expectation would be on the technology upgrade scheme, especially for the freight division. According to some unconfirmed reports, opening of railways for private sector investment in areas like station development may also be announced this time.
Last but not the least, budget might see announcements on Make in India schemes for the railway sector.
