MALIGAON, FEBRUARY 3 (MExN): Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw held an interaction with media representatives from the Northeast to discuss the funds allocated in the Budget 2025-26 for railway projects on February 3. The event was also attended by Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, General Manager of NF Railway, Arun Kumar Choudhary, General Manager of NF Railway (Construction), and senior railway officials from the Headquarters.
During the interaction, the Railway Minister informed the media that for the second consecutive year, the budget allocation for Indian Railways exceeds Rs 2.65 lakh crores. He highlighted that Indian Railways is poised to expand faster, safer, and more comfortable rail travel across the country. The Minister announced the rollout of 200 new Vande Bharat trains, 100 Amrit Bharat trains, and 50 Namo Bharat rapid rails in the coming years. These new trains and modern coaches are expected to significantly benefit the lower and middle-income groups. To enhance safety, 1,000 new flyovers and underpasses will also be constructed, he added.
The Minister further highlighted that the physical progress of ongoing railway projects in the Northeast is advancing at a good pace. Despite the region's geographically challenging terrain, work is being carried out around the clock to ensure early completion. Since 2014, 1,824 km of new tracks have been constructed in Assam and the Northeast, which is more than the entire rail network of Sri Lanka. Additionally, 478 new flyovers and underpasses have been built across the Northeastern states. A total of 1,189 route kilometers have been identified for the implementation of the Kavach safety system across NF Railway, the Minister stated.
Both General Managers also informed the media that 92 stations across NF Railway will be transformed under the Amrit Bharat Stations Scheme. Electrification of all tracks under the jurisdiction of NF Railway is expected to be completed by December 2025. Additionally, the Bhairabi-Sairang project in Mizoram is likely to be completed by July this year.
Furthermore, the Gross Budget Allocation for railway infrastructure projects in the Northeast for FY 2025-26 has been set at Rs 10,440 crores. This is more than five times the average budget allocation of Rs 2,122 crores during the 2009-14 period. The allocation this year shows unprecedented growth in several key areas, including new line and doubling projects, track renewal works, traffic facilities, road safety works, bridge works, signaling, workshop modernization, and customer amenities.
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