New Delhi, Metro Rail News: In the last five years (2014-19), the Government of India has made safety the foremost priority of Indian Railways. Indian Railways has achieved its best ever safety record in 2018-19 – there has been 81% drop in the number of deaths from 152 in 2013-14 to 29 this year (up to Jan 31, 2019). This is a result of holistic efforts. All Unmanned Level Crossings (
Laying the foundations of infrastructure for a New India, there has been a quantum leap in capital expenditure. Total capital expenditure between 2014-19 is Rs. 5.1 lakh crore which is more than double of total expenditure during 2009-14. Railways is connecting India at a faster pace with a 59% increase in the average pace of commissioning New Line / Doubling / 3rd & 4th line projects from 4.1 Kms during 2009-14 per day to 6.53 Kms per day during 2014-18.
Aspirations of the people of North East were fulfilled with the completion of 4.94 Kms long Bogibeel Bridge, longest rail-cum-road bridge in India. Now, the journey from Itanagar to Dibrugarh is only 180 Kms, reducing the travel time from 24 hrs to only 5 hrs
Commuter travel in urban India has been given sufficient attention. Bangalore Suburban System is being developed with ongoing projects worth more than Rs. 15,700 cr. This will benefit about 15 lakh commuters. Mumbai Suburban Systems is also being modernized with ongoing projects worth more than Rs. 70,000 cr, which will benefit about 75 lakh commuters.
India entered a new era of mobility with Vande Bharat Express – India’s first high-tech, energy-efficient, self-propelled train. This is a prime example of the success of Make in India movement. This train will be proliferated across India and also exported globally.
The Ahmedabad-Mumbai High-Speed Rail (HSR) will revolutionize the transport sector in India through speed, safety, and service. Besides the Make in India benefits from the HSR project, Railways is creating large scale employment and economic development through sanctioned projects in Latur, Maharashtra; New Bongaigaon, Assam; Lumding, Assam; Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, and Sonipat, Haryana. Setting records for Indian Railways, Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh has successfully executed world’s 1st ever conversion of diesel locos into electric loco to enable Mission Electrification.
Indian Railways has embarked on transitioning to sustainable rail transport with a six times increase in electrification from 610 RKM during 2013-14 to 4,087 RKM during 2017-18. 100% Electrification of Broad Gauge Routes of Indian Railways is targeted by 2021-22.
Indian Railways has achieved significant milestones in moving the country’s economy faster with the highest ever freight loading in 2018-19. Freight earnings have touched their highest level and is expected to be about Rs. 1.43 lakh cr in BE 2019-20.
Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) are gateways to India’s superfast growth and development. First sections of Eastern DFC (Bhadan to Khurja, 200 Kms) and Western DFC (Rewari to Madar, 200 Kms) have been completed.
Indian Railways is improving passenger services including a complete makeover of Stations by installing modern facilities including escalators, lifts, free wifi etc. and using local art in the design. 4 stations are undergoing redevelopment – Habibganj, Gandhinagar, Charbagh and Gomtinagar. Beautification of 65 stations has been completed using local art. Indian Railways has improved trains and coaches including launching the Tejas, Antyodaya and Humsafar trains and Deen Dayalu and Anubhuti coaches. Connecting passengers to the digital world, high-speed WiFi service has been provided at more than 800 stations. Pan India rollout of paperless Unreserved Ticketing (UTS) has been done to make ticketing convenient and hassle-free.
Catering has also been a focus area with compulsory printing of MRP on all food items and use of artificial intelligence to monitor food production in base kitchens for improving quality and hygiene.
Indian Railways is also playing its part in promoting tourism and providing a wonderful experience to tourists. It is also connecting Indias to their roots with the launch of Ramayan Express, Panj Takht Express, and Buddhist Circuit Train.
Rail Drishti dashboard has been launched, encompassing all the digitization efforts in Indian Railways and promoting transparency and accountability. It brings information from various sources on a single platform and gives access to key statistics and parameters to every citizen of the country. The available information has been categorized under 15 user-friendly sections on the Dashboard.
India’s first National Rail & Transportation Institute has been launched with 1st academic session started with two undergraduate programmes – B.Sc. in Transportation Technology & BBA in Transportation Management with 103 students. Rs. 421 crore has been sanctioned for the next 5 years.
Recognizing the significance of empowering and upskilling the Railways family, various steps have been taken including delegation of powers. The historic recruitment drive is being undertaken with 1.5 lakh vacancies being filled. 2.3 lakh individuals will be recruited over the next two years.
Indian Railways has also focused on digital initiatives for bringing transparency and accountability to its business practices. E- reverse auction policy has been issued. 100% e-Procurement is being done through a single web-portal. Simpler approval processes in Research Designs and Standards Organisation have reduced process time from 30 months to 6 months.
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