As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to unveil the Railway Budget 2024 within her broader Budget 2024 speech, a historic capital expenditure allocation is anticipated, with a pronounced focus on enhancing safety and modernising India’s extensive railway network through cutting-edge technologies such as Kavach.
In her Interim Budget 2024, Sitharaman earmarked Rs 2,52,000 crore for Indian Railways for FY25.
Experts suggest that this figure might see a significant increase in the first full budget of the Modi 3.0 government.
The Economic Survey 2023-24, tabled in Parliament recently, highlighted a 77% rise in capital expenditure on Indian Railways over the past five years, reaching Rs 2.62 lakh crore in FY24. Investments have been channelled into constructing new lines, gauging conversions, and doubling tracks.
Among the expected announcements is the rollout of the Vande Bharat sleeper trains designed for long-distance overnight travel and the Vande Metro for short-distance commutes.
As of March 2024, 51 pairs of Vande Bharat trains have been introduced. The Economic Survey notes, "High-speed, long-distance Vande sleeper train set coaches featuring quick acceleration, diffused lighting, automatic doors, and GPS-based passenger information systems are under development."
The Vande Metro trains will boast features such as sealed wider gangways, centrally controlled automatic sliding doors, CCTVs for safety and surveillance, route map indicators, passenger information and infotainment systems, fire detection systems, and aerosol-based fire suppression systems.
The first lot is expected to be operational by FY25.
The interim budget had also announced an upgrade of 40,000 passenger coaches to Vande Bharat standards. Clarity on this massive upgradation project is expected in the forthcoming budget speech.
Additionally, Indian Railways has plans to manufacture over 10,000 non-AC coaches to serve general class passengers better.
There are also likely announcements of more Amrit Bharat trains, aimed at providing the common man with better amenities and higher speeds.
A significant part of the Railway Budget is likely to focus on the Kavach anti-collision train technology, especially in light of recent railway accidents.
The budget is expected to allocate substantial funds for modern signalling infrastructure and track upgrades to enhance overall safety.
The budget might also detail plans for the recently announced new economic corridors and dedicated freight corridors, aimed at boosting revenue from freight and ensuring faster movement of goods.
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