Mumbai Local Train Service: Indian Railways has a special plan for Mumbai over the next five years, which includes adding 250 new suburban services, revamping the rail network, and building new mega terminals to ease rail travel in the financial capital.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the Railways intends to redesign the suburban network to reduce the 'cross movement' of trains as part of efforts to improve transportation in Mumbai and its suburban areas.
Railways planning to reduce distance between two trains
The Minister said that the railway plans to implement new technology to reduce the distance between two trains from the current 180 seconds to 150 seconds. He said that more attention is being given to separating suburban and long-distance rail services. "A big focus is on separating the suburban and long-distance train services," the minister said.
It is pertinent to mention that Mumbai's suburban rail system operates 3,200 services daily, carrying over 75 lakh passengers.
The development of the coastal road in Mumbai and the phased implementation of the metro rail are set to further ease transportation in the country's financial capital.
Additionally, a new coaching complex is being constructed at Panvel-Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai, designed to serve as a terminal for long-distance trains. The suburban rail system in Mumbai runs 3,200 services daily, transporting over 75 lakh passengers.
Railway Minister Vaishnaw also mentioned the construction of new terminals at Hadapsar, Uruli, Khadki, and Shivajinagar, aimed at reducing congestion at Pune railway station.
Rs 2,62,200 crore allotted for railways in budget
The Railway Minister announced a record allocation of Rs 2,62,200 crore for the railways in the Union Budget 2024. Of this amount, Rs 1,08,000 crore is dedicated to security-related activities.
Railway Minister Vaishnaw announced that Rs 15,940 crore has been allocated to railway projects in Maharashtra as part of the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He highlighted that projects worth Rs 81,000 crore are currently underway in the state, which has achieved complete electrification of its rail network. Additionally, under the Amrit Bharat station initiative, the Railways is redeveloping 128 stations across Maharashtra.
The budget includes significant allocations for rail infrastructure development across various states:
- Uttar Pradesh: Rs 19,848 crore
- Madhya Pradesh: Rs 14,738 crore
- West Bengal: Rs 13,941 crore
- Bihar: Rs 10,033 crore
- Jharkhand: Rs 7,302 crore
(With PTI inputs)
