Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman indicated in her budget speech on Saturday that the Indian Railways will run as many as 150 trains on a public-private partnership mode in the coming years. The comment highlights the Narendra Modi government's focus on continuing privatisation policies.
The additional private trains was one focus area of the budget references on the Railways, which were made under the infrastructure segment. Notably, Sitharaman said the Modi government would actively continue development of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project; the coalition government in Maharashtra had indicated in December it was reviewing its commitment to the project.
Sitharaman said the government was planning to set up large-capacity solar power plants on Railways land near rail track.
The Railways would also introduce more 'Tejas-type' trains to connect tourist sites.
Sitharaman said the government aims to achieve electrification of 27,000km of railway track.
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In news that will cheer residents of Bengaluru, Sitharaman announced a plan worth Rs 18,600 crore to build a 140km suburban railway network for the IT city.
Sitharaman said, the Indian Railways will set up a 'Kisan Rail' system in public-private partnership mode. This would have refrigerated units to allow for transport of perishable goods.
2019 budget allocation
During her budget speech in July 2019, the Railways got a budgetary allocation of Rs 65,837 crore and the capital expenditure outlay was Rs 1.60 lakh, the highest ever.
In 2019, Sitharaman said the Railway infrastructure needed an investment of Rs 50 lakh crore between 2018 and 2030 and emphasised the need for public-private partnership.
