Indian Railways in 9 years: There is no denying the fact that the Narendra Modi government in the last nine years has completely transformed the face of Indian Railways. From introducing high-speed trains to expansion of railway tracks and upgrading of railway stations to prioritising passenger comfort, the railway sector in India has indeed come a long way.
Realising the part that Indian Railways has played in driving and uplifting India’s economy, the Modi government has unleashed a plethora of projects that have metamorphosed and given India’s railway sector a boost in all these years. Here we bring to you some of the milestones that the Indian Railways achieved in the last nine years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With the aim to provide an eco-friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, a lot of emphasis has been given to railway electrification. India plans to have the largest green railway network in the world.
According to the Ministry of Railways, 14 states and union territories have already achieved 100% electrification of rail networks as of March 31, 2023. It’s a remarkable achievement for India sheerly for the fact how environmentally-friendly this initiative has been.
The states and UTs that have achieved the milestone include Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Telangana, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Further electrification of tracks will not only reduce India’s dependency on imported petroleum-based energy but also enhance the country’s energy security. The Indian Railways aims to achieve 100% electrification in all the states by the December-2023 deadline.
The Modi government has expanded the railway network by laying new rail tracks in various states of the country. For example, providing rail connectivity to NorthEast India has been the topmost priority of the Government of India. Rail link from Balipara-Bhalukpong in Arunachal Pradesh, Rangia to Murkongselek and Lumding to Silchar in Assam, Agartala to Kumarghat in Tripura, Arunachal to Jiribam and Kathakal to Bairabi in Mizoram have already been converted into broad gauge. In latest news, Indian Railways is also expanding its network to Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang.
The government in the past 9 years also focussed on doubling of tracks with the purpose to reduce or minimise train traffic. In budget 2023-24 Indian railways has allotted Rs 30,749 crore just for doubling of railway tracks. For those unaware, the process of expanding a single track to a double track is called doubling. This has not only improved operational efficiency but also allowed for smoothe movement of trains.
Earlier if we pictured the sight of Indian railway stations, what came to us was a picture of dirty rail tracks, garbage on station waiting areas and too much congestion. However, that scenario is now a thing of the past. Railway stations have received a major facelift in the past few years. With over 400 redeveloped railway stations, these spaces are now mostly congestion-free with non-conflicting entry and exit points. There has been segregation in departure and arrival of passengers.
The Indian Railways has also been thoughtful of specially-abled persons as they now provide wheelchairs and even separate pathways for them at railway stations. Ashwini Vaishnaw in his post-budget announcement also stressed on the modernization of existing infrastructure. While Andhra Pradesh has identified 72 stations for transformation, Assam has identified 49, Bihar has identified 86 and Gujarat has identified 87 railway stations for upgradation among other states.
Vande Bharat Express has definitely upgraded the way of life for those travelling inter-state, and it is one project of India Railways that has been applauded the most by the people and state governments. Vande Bharat trains operate on 18 routes as of now which are as follows:
New Delhi-Varanasi, Gandhinagar-Mumbai, New Delhi-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Chennai-Mysuru, New Delhi-Amb Andaura (Himachal Pradesh), Nagpur-Bilaspur, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Howrah-New Jalpaiguri, Mumbai-Shirdi, Delhi-Bhopal, Mumbai-Solapur, Secunderabad-Tirupati, Ajmer-Delhi Cantt, Chennai-Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod, Dehradun- Delhi’s Anand Vihar Terminus, Puri-Howrah, and the latest being New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati.
These trains have been built to provide a faster and comfortable commute to the passengers with modern amenities like wi-fi, GPS, bio-vaccum toilets, heat ventilation and air conditioning, LED lighting and also CCTV surveillance.
Gatiman Express which is operational between Delhi and Jhansi is also known as India’s first semi high-speed train. The train can run upto a maximum speed of 160 km per hour and also features new Linke-Hofmann-Busch coaches. It also has bio-toilets and the coaches are fitted with balanced gear couplers to provide a smooth ride to the passengers.
Another major milestone in the journey of the Indian Railways is the development of automatic electronic block signalling systems at railway stations. The automatic signalling system has been installed with the purpose of increasing line capacity and safety measures on tracks. Also, it is a cost-effective solution. The Indian Railways has installed an automatic signaling system in 530 Kms during 2022-23, as compared to 218 Kms during 2021-22, registering an increase of 143.12%. These are the best figures achieved in automatic signaling in the history of Indian Railways.
In 2018, the Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) Mobile App was introduced, allowing passengers to book unreserved tickets online, avoiding the need for physical tickets. This is mostly applicable to passengers who travel by train frequently. The app saves them from wasting time in long queues to purchase tickets for platform visits or local train travel. The UTS app is free to download from the respective app stores for both Android and iOS platforms.
The Banihal-Qazigund Railway Tunnel, also known as the Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel runs through the Pir Panjal Range in Jammu and Kashmir. It is India’s longest railway tunnel and enhances connectivity to the Kashmir Valley. It became operational in 2013 and is a part of the Jammu-Baramulla line. The average elevation of this tunnel is reportedly 1,760-metres or about 440-metres below the existing road tunnel, called the Jawahar Tunnel, which is at an elevation of about 2,194-meters.
The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project, initiated in 2006, witnessed significant progress during the last nine years. The DFC aims to create exclusive freight corridors to enhance the efficiency of freight transportation and reduce congestion on existing rail lines.
—
Blog powered by G6
Disclaimer! A guest author has made this post. G6 has not checked the post. its content and attachments and under no circumstances will G6 be held responsible or liable in any way for any claims, damages, losses, expenses, costs or liabilities whatsoever (including, without limitation, any direct or indirect damages for loss of profits, business interruption or loss of information) resulting or arising directly or indirectly from your use of or inability to use this website or any websites linked to it, or from your reliance on the information and material on this website, even if the G6 has been advised of the possibility of such damages in advance.
For any inquiries, please contact [email protected]
