Trivandrum: Union Railway Minister, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw has informed that Rs 2,033 crores have been allocated for Kerala for railway development in the Union Budget. He was addressing a press conference via video conferencing regarding the projects and allocations for the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget.
He said this is the highest amount to be allocated for railway development in Kerala. During 2009-14, this was Rs 372 crores. Rail development is being implemented based on two main concepts namely Vande Metro and Hydrogen Train. Vande Metro train services will begin in Kerala to connect nearby cities which has less than 100 km of distance. The Railway Minister also said that after a trial run of one-and-a-half years, it would be converted into a full-time service. The project aims at regional connectivity similar to Europe. He also said that Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the best performers in the ‘One Station One Product’ scheme. The Union Minister informed that the allocation in this year’s budget for Tamil Nadu rail development is Rs 6,080 crores.
During his interaction, Shri R N Singh, GM – Southern Railway said that an amount of Rs 100 crores has been earmarked for new lines in Kerala while Rs 193 crores have been allocated for doubling works in the State. He also added that Kerala will get one Vande Bharat train set in 2023.
34 stations have been identified for a redesign in the next 24-28 months. The preparation of a master plan for Chengannur, Thrissur, Varkala and Thiruvananthapuram stations has commenced. 250 train rakes (ICF) will be replaced with LHB rakes in the next two years.
Shri R Mukund, DRM, Thiruvananthapuram Division and other senior officials were present during the press conference at the Divisional Office, Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala Rail News