New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced Tuesday that 400 new Vande Bharat trains will be introduced. She also said that the Railways will also develop new products for small farmers and MSMEs.
The Railway Ministry has been allocated Rs 140367.13 crore in the Union Budget – Rs 20,311 crore more than the revised figures of the previous fiscal. The rail sector will also develop ‘One Station One Product’, which will leverage local produce carried on the railways, the minister informed.
“400 new-generation Vande Bharat trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience will be developed and manufactured during the next three years,” Sitharaman said.
These new trains are going to be made of light-weight aluminium, as opposed to steel. It will make each train around 50 tonne lighter in weight. Therefore they will consume much less energy than their steel counterparts, Sitharaman informed.
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The Finance Minister also said that 100 PM Gati Shakti terminals would also be set up in the next three years.
“Railways will develop new products and efficient logistics services for small farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises, besides taking the lead in integration of Postal and Railways networks to provide seamless solutions for movement of parcels. One Station-One Product concept will be popularised to help local businesses and supply chains,” Sitharaman said in her speech.
As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000km network will be brought under ‘Kavach’, the indigenous world-class technology for safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23, informed Sitharaman.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the announcement. He said that the integration of posts and railways will bring better logistics solutions for people living in remote areas. He also said that the Railways will introduce new products and services for small farmers and enterprises.
The Budget has also earmarked Rs 38686.59 crore for investment in PSUs, joint ventures and special purpose vehicles. The allocation for the development of rolling stock, which will be instrumental in bringing in new modern coaches and technology to the national transporter, has been kept at Rs 7,977 crore.
The FM has also allocated Rs 15710.44 crore to the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), whose assets will be monetised by the Railways for operations and maintenance.
