Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said the government was eyeing investment of ₹50 lakh crore in Railways by the year 2030 to make it the best in the world.
The Minister also said that the rail infrastructure in the country increased by a mere 30% in the past 65 years due to the lack of adequate investment.
“The government envisages investment of ₹50 lakh crore by the year 2030 in Railways to make it the world’s best railway which will include safety of passengers, expansion of network, and increase in freight share,” Mr. Goyal said, while commenting on the Union Budget, which was presented in Parliament on July 5.
“In the past 65 years, the investment had been less in Railways due to which the infrastructure increased by 30% while freight and passenger traffic increased by 1,500%,” the Minister said, adding that these factors resulted in passengers facing several problems.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of launching of a membership drive for the BJP in Panaji.
Electrification drive
Mr. Goyal announced that the entire Konkan Railway Corporation (KRCL) route from Mumbai to Mangalore via Goa would be electrified in the next one-and-a-half years.
Electrification work has been undertaken by the Ministry of Railways at a cost of ₹11,000 crore, which has been sanctioned.
“Running the entire route on electricity will save the environment and increase speed. Besides, trains will run on clean fuel,” Mr. Goyal said.
The Minister also said that different measures are being initiated to increase the capacity of the KRCL without going for doubling of the tracks.
He said his Ministry will have a capital investment of ₹1.60 lakh crore for the current year against the mere ₹45,000 crore invested during 2013-14.
Goa mining
He also said the mining issue in Goa will have to be resolved within the ambit of law in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court verdict which halted mining operations in the coastal State.
“We are committed to solving the mining issue. The Chief Minister had held several meetings with our leadership in Delhi. He had also met the Prime Minister several times on this issue,” Mr. Goyal told reporters in the presence of the Chief Minister.
