Sitharaman Announces Three Major Economic Railway Corridors to Alleviate Congestion and Boost Connectivity

In a significant move towards enhancing the efficiency of India's rail network, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman revealed plans for the establishment of three major economic railway corridors during the interim budget presentation on Thursday.

The proposed corridors, strategically designed to address congestion and cut logistics costs, encompass a corridor for energy, mineral, and cement transportation, another dedicated to enhancing port connectivity, and a third aimed at decongesting high-traffic density corridors.

Sitharaman emphasized that these projects fall under the umbrella of PM Gati Shakti, a framework designed to facilitate multimodal connectivity, ensuring seamless transportation across different modes.

"These corridors will not only improve logistics efficiency but also contribute to cost reduction," stated the finance minister.

The anticipated de-congestion of high-traffic corridors is expected to have a ripple effect on the operations of passenger trains, leading to enhanced safety measures and increased travel speed for passengers.

Sitharaman underscored the holistic impact of these initiatives, stating, "Together with dedicated freight corridors, these three economic corridor programs will accelerate our GDP growth and reduce logistic costs."

As part of the broader rail modernization efforts, Sitharaman announced the conversion of 40,000 normal rail bogies to meet Vande Bharat standards, focusing on improving safety, convenience, and passenger comfort. Currently, Vande Bharat operates 82 services across the network.

In a bid to enhance passenger comfort further, the government is set to introduce sleeper Vande Bharat trains, currently under production at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. These sleeper trains are expected to be operational by the end of the next year.

Addressing the changing dynamics of urbanization and the expanding middle class, Sitharaman emphasized the role of Metro rail and NaMo Bharat trains as catalysts for required urban transformation. The budget outlined support for the expansion of these systems in large cities, with a focus on transit-oriented development to meet the growing demands of rapid urbanization.