Railways' fund allocation to Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand at record high: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted on Wednesday that West Bengal is getting more money from the Centre now than when Mamata Banerjee held the portfolio in the Congress-led UPA government, stressing that train accidents have now come down by 60%.

On a day Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee slammed the BJP-led NDA government in the Lok Sabha over the recent train accidents and the Union Budget presented on Tuesday, Vaishaw said his ministry has focussed on technology, operational changes and training to significantly improve safety.

Compared to the UPA, train accidents have reduced by 60%, Vaishnaw said.

Hitting back at the opposition leader, the minister also accused the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government in the state of not fully cooperating with his ministry for the implementation of rail projects and saying land acquisition is a major problem in West Bengal.

Briefing reporters on the Railways’ allocations related to the three eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, he said they are at a record high. The average allocation under the UPA was Rs 4,380 crore for West Bengal and it is Rs 13,941 crore for 2024-25. Work on rail projects worth Rs 60,000 crore are on in the state, he said.

Under the Amrit Bharat scheme, 100 railway stations in the state will be redeveloped, he said.

In Jharkhand, he said, the average allocation under the last five years of the UPA government was Rs 457 crore. It has now risen by 16 times to Rs 7,302 crore, Vaishnaw added. Work on rail projects worth Rs 52,885 crore are on in the state, while 57 stations are being redeveloped, he said.

In Bihar, the minister said the allocation for rail works stands at Rs 10,033 crore, and rail projects worth Rs 79,000 are being implemented currently.

Asked about passengers often facing the issue of long waiting lists in states like Bihar, especially during festivals, he said the ministry has been working to expand the rail network and will run special trains to help passengers.