Mumbai: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has said that the ministry would be introducing additional 250 suburban local trains for Mumbai within five years to reduce pressure on the existing services. Similarly, 50 to 100 long distance trains would also be introduced for the benefit of the commuters.
"We are taking all round efforts to make travel smooth for the people of the city. Necessary instructions have been given to both, the Central and Western Railways, for implementing corrective measures and ensure that people face minimum problems while commuting," Vaishnav said while interacting with mediapersons through video conferencing on Wednesday.
"Four new Terminus at Panvel, Kalyan, Kurla and Parel have also been proposed besides further expansion of Lokmanya Tilak Terminus that will reduce pressure on the existing ones and improve quality of service," the minister said.
Specifically asked about the disruptions being faced by the people, particularly during monsoon, the minister said necessary efforts are being taken to reduce the disruptions. "However, considering the heavy rains being experienced by the city in short spans is proving to be major hindrance in executing those measures," the minister said and lauded the Central Railways for indigenous modification and development of point machine covers in flood-prone locations.
Stating that the Centre has made a record allocation of Rs 15,940 Crore has been made for developing railway network and infrastructute in Maharashtra, Vaishnav said the state is making tremendous progress when it comes to developing new railway projects.
Seeking state government's support in further enhancing rail network, the union minister said the Railways will be investing Rs 81,850 Crore in projects such as doubling the line while for other projects such as improving the stations and starting the dedicated freight corridor, an investment of Rs 1.30 Lakh Crore would be made within next five years.
"We have increased the new track laying capacity to 183 km in the last 10 years while 128 railway stations are being modernized and developed under the Amrit Bharat Scheme," the minister said and added that the central government is confident of meeting the 2026 deadline to start the operation of Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project.
