Coming soon: Vande Metro trains for cities

February 01, 2023 21:40

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Vande Metro, a mini version of the Vande Bharat Express trains, will be developed by the Railways for people living around big cities to travel to and fro in comfort between their place of work and hometowns, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the highest-ever capital outlay for the railways in the Union Budget 2023-24 at Rs 2.40 lakh crore, Vaishnaw also said India will get its first Hydrogen train by December 2023 which will be completely indigenously manufactured.

It will initially be run on heritage circuits like Kalka-Shimla.

Presenting the Budget in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said the outlay for the railways is nine times the amount provided in 2013-2014.

She said 100 critical transport infrastructure projects for last-and-first-mile connectivity for coal, fertiliser and food grain sectors have been identified and will be taken up on a priority basis with an investment of Rs 75,000 crore, including Rs 15,000 crore from private sources, she said.

Budget papers showed that the net revenue expenditure of the railways is placed at Rs 2,65,000 crore in the Budget Estimate 2023-24 as against Rs 2,42,892.77 crore in Revised Estimate 2022-23.

For the railways, which is looking to focus on investing in building infrastructure, manufacturing new coaches, renewal of tracks and redevelopment of stations, the budgetary outlay is sure to go a long way.

"Today's budget will make India the growth engine for the whole world. As the prime minister said the world is looking at India as a ray of hope, the Budget envisages that vision," Vaishnaw said.

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