It was called the “Delhi Avoiding Line” back in the 1980s as it bypassed the heart of the Capital and ran through what was then almost the city’s periphery.
This moniker for the Delhi Ring Railway might have now faded from public memory, but still fits the bill for other reasons — most Delhiites prefer to avoid it.
The nearly 40-year-old and over 35-km long network of Delhi Ring Railway could, however, get a fresh lease of life with Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announcing plans for it revival. Mr. Prabhu made the announcement while presenting the Rail Budget 2016-17 in Parliament on Thursday.
“Delhi is under severe stress from rising pollution levels and can be provided relief by reviving the ring railway system comprising 21 stations. We will partner with the State government to develop this infrastructure,” he said.
In the Budget announced on Thursday, the total outlay for Delhi for the financial year 2016-17 is Rs.208 crore, 10 per cent more than the previous financial year. The new projects that will be taken up in this year include the doubling of tracks on Delhi-Shamli line, railway under bridge on Delhi-Rewari road, railway over bridge on Delhi-Palwal road, etc. For Delhi, however, the highlight of the Budget has been revival plans for the ring railway.
Upgraded for passenger services with much fanfare in 1982, the Delhi Ring Railway is dying a slow death with footfalls decreasing every year due to utter lack of last-mile connectivity, erratic services and poor access to most of the 21 stations on the network. The network primarily serves as a freight corridor, the purpose for which it was originally constructed in 1975.
According to senior officials of Northern Railway, Delhi will need a second ring around the existing ring railway if passenger capacity has to be augmented. Sources said land is available with the Railways, but large tracts have been encroached upon and the Railway authorities are going to seek the help of the Delhi government to get this land cleared for laying of tracks for a second ring.
Railway authorities feel that if the ring railway has to come up as a viable mode of urban transport, it needs augmentation and infrastructure development on many fronts.
“The ring railway requires capacity augmentation as it is already handling 30 per cent more traffic than its capacity,” said Arun Arora, the Delhi Divisional Railway Manager.
Though passenger traffic on this network is almost negligible, it does handle a good volume of freight traffic. Mr. Arora said if more passenger trains are added on the network, a separate line for freight trains will be required. He added that there are many other issues that have to be looked into jointly by the Railways and the Delhi government.
“Encroachments have to be shifted out, funding will be required for development, connectivity issues and access to stations will have to be improved. The stations at present are halt stations and have to be refurbished with more passenger amenities if footfall increases. If we wish to revive the ring railway, it has to be a concerted effort of Railways and the government,” he said.
The government on Thursday said deliberations were on with the Centre to revive the ring railway network.
Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai said: “The ring rail runs through the city and can be developed as an alternate to the Metro. But many people don’t know about the trains and their frequency.”
