The modernization of railways will play a vital role in Indian economy -Railway Minister

Railways focusing on investments to decongest rail traffic: Prabhu

PUNE: Pointing at lack of investment in the Indian Railways in the last 60 years, Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu said that his team is focused on bringing massive investments in the next five years which would help complete the pending infrastructure works, decongest traffic on existing routes by doubling and tripling tracks and maintain daily schedules of trains.

Prabhu was delivering a lecture on 'Indian Railways contribution to Indian Economy', at the city-based S P college on Saturday. The college is celebrating its centenary year.

Prabhu said the work of dedicated freight corridors on east and west sides was on at full swing and the allotment of tenders was expected to get over in the next nine months. About the work done so far, Prabhu said his ministry made 67 announcements in the last rail budget; the railways have made efforts to strengthen two trunk routes — Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata — which will ensure smooth running of trains on all connected routes.

Prabhu said, "Investments in the railways have been below expectations in the last six decades. Over three crore people travel by trains every day. It is a challenge to provide adequate infrastructure to manage daily movement of passengers and goods. Several tracks are congested which are carrying traffic about 150% above their capacity. Infrastructure constraints at the ground level lead to delays, accidents and substandard services," he said.

Prabhu said, "The modernization of railways will play a vital role in Indian economy. Better investment would generate more employment, business opportunities and will establish better connectivity within the country. The country's economy would grow by at least 2% to 3% more every year if the railway network is modernized. The ministry has floated a plan for next five years and is expecting an investment of over Rs 8.5 lakh crore," he said.

Prabhu also said that he has taken some landmark decisions to improve daily working within the organization. One of the transformative decisions in the ministry was the delegation of powers, concerning commercial decisions, to the divisional railway managers and general managers. He also said that the minister's work is restricted to policy-making and not of tendering.

"The railways have emphasized on the use of solar power at stations to curtail power bills. The ministry would conduct water audit to ensure its judicious use and there is a plan to install RO machines at more stations to provide clean water to passengers," said the minister.

Prabhu used the platform to appeal to users to contribute in keeping the railway premises clean.

Direct local trains services between Lonavla-Pune-Daund by next financial year, says Prabhu:

The long-pending proposal of a direct local train service on the Lonavla-Pune-Daund section could materialise after March next year, said railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday.

"The electrification of the Daund-Pune section is expected to get over by end of the current financial year. This will be followed by running of direct local trains between Lonavla-Pune and Daund," Prabhu said.

The railways, with the Maharashtra government, has constituted a company to implement projects. "A meeting was recently held to expedite public transport projects along with rail projects within the Mumbai area. A similar meeting will be held for the Pune region. This will not only ensure implementation of rail projects, but will also look into other public transportation services like buses and autorickshaws," said Prabhu.

The minister was speaking at a function organized in the city to inaugurate the divisional railway manager's new administrative building. He also opened two foot-overbridges at Jejuri and Daund through a remote control.

Prabhu said, "We are making efforts to improve the rail network in Maharashtra, particularly around Pune. Two projects have been sanctioned for the city in the current budget: a third line between Pune and Lonavla and doubling of the Pune-Miraj-Londha track. The work has started. Besides, there is a plan to develop links between Karad-Chiplun and Kolhapu-Vaibhavwadi."

Pune has been listed among 430 stations identified for redevelopment. "I would suggest the local railway authorities to work on priority for development of the Pune station," he said.

The minister said that the ministry has set up a separate mechanism to receive complaints from passengers. The divisional mangers are told to look into complaints to ensure hassle-free journeys.

The local MLAs and MPs, including Anil Shirole, Amar Sable, Vandana Chavan, Vijay Shivtare were present. General manager of Central Railway Sunilkumar Sood and Pune divisional railway manager Suneet Sharma were also present.

Prabhu's plan for better passenger services:

* 114 additional trains to Konkan for Ganapati festival

* Base kitchen at stations to serve fresh, cooked food to on-board passengers

* Mechanized laundries at maximum divisions to ensure clean linen

* Escalators at stations for senior citizens

* Tout-free reservation centres

Source :Times OF India