Capex on Railways increased by 77% over 5 years

Capital expenditure on the Railways has increased by 77 per cent over the past five years with significant investments in the construction of new lines, gauge conversion and doubling, the Economic Survey 2023-24 said on Monday.

According to the survey, in the financial year 2019-2020, the capital expenditure was 1.48 lakh crore which was increased to ₹2.62 lakh crore in 2023-24.

“Indian Railways, with over 68,584 route km (as of March 31, 2024) and 12.54 lakh employees (as of April 1, 2024), is the fourth largest network in the world under single management,” the survey said.

Highlighting the initiatives taken by the Railway Ministry for the enhancement of operations and services, the survey mentioned Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project and Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) with the progress made in these respective projects.

According to the survey, Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, launched in August 2023 for development of stations on a continuous basis, involves preparation of master plans and its phased implementation to improve amenities, building improvements, multimodal integration, and sustainability.

It said that 1,324 stations have been identified for upgradation so far.

Talking about another initiative, Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, the survey said that under this 508-km project, executed with cooperation from the government of Japan, land acquisition and civil conduct award have been completed.

“Overall physical progress of 41.7 per cent has been achieved and financial expenditure of ₹59,291 crore was incurred until 31st March, 2024,” the survey said.

“Two DFCs are under implementation namely the eastern DFC with route length of 1,337 kilometre and the western DFC with route length of 1,506 kilometre,” it added.

It further stated that by the end of FY24, 96.1 per cent of the total DFC route length has been completed.

Highlighting other major achievements, the survey said that the Railways achieved its highest-ever production for both locomotives and wagons in FY24.

“Fifty one pairs of Vande Bharat have been introduced until March 2024. The fast pace of infrastructure augmentation has been the result of a substantial increase in financial allocation along with close project monitoring and regular follow-up with stakeholders for expeditious land acquisition and clearances,” the survey said.

It added, “High-speed, long-distance Vande sleeper trainset coaches having features like quick acceleration, diffused lighting, automatic doors and global positioning system-based passenger information system are under development.” According to the survey, the Railways is also planning to introduce Vande metro trainset coaches with features such as sealed wider gangways, centrally controlled automatic sliding doors, CCTVs for safety and surveillance, route map indicator, passenger information and infotainment system, fire detection system and aerosol-based fire suppression system.

“The first lot is expected to be turned out in FY25,” it said.

“Railways has taken several initiatives for providing a clean environment in and around railway stations and trains, such as replacement of conventional toilets with bio-toilets on coaches leading to clean tracks, segregation of bio-degradable/non-bio-degradable waste, solid waste management and discouraging use of single use plastic,” the survey added.