New Delhi: Indian Railways plans to double originating train capacity in 48 major cities in the country by 2030 in view of the rapid growth in demand for travel, according to an official statement issued on Friday.
The increase in infrastructure that is being planned includes augmenting the current terminals with additional platforms, stabling lines, pit lines, and adequate shunting facilities, as well as identifying and creating new terminals in and around the urban area.
The development of maintenance facilities, including mega coaching complexes and increasing the sectional capacity with traffic facility works, signalling upgradation, and multitracking required for handling increased trains at various points, will also be taken up, the statement said.
While planning for increasing the capacity of terminals, stations around terminals will also be considered so that capacity is evenly balanced. For example, for Pune, Hadapsar, Khadki, and Alandi have been considered for increasing capacity along with increasing platforms and stabling lines at Pune station, the statement said.
This exercise will be undertaken for both suburban as well as non-suburban traffic, keeping in view the distinct requirements of both segments. A comprehensive plan of the 48 major cities will be submitted to the Planning Directorate. The plan will include the works planned, proposed, or already sanctioned to achieve the goal of doubling the capacity of handling trains in a time-bound manner.
The 48 stations include the major metros — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, state capitals such as Patna, Lucknow, Chandigarh Jaipur, Bhopal, and Guwahati, as well as other major cities such as Varanasi, Agra, Puri, Cochin, Coimbatore, Vadodra, Surat, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Vishakhpatnam, Tirupati, Coimbatore, Vijayawada, and Mysuru.
“While the plan to double the capacity is by 2030, it is expected that capacity will be increased progressively in the next 5 years so that the benefits of capacity addition can be reaped immediately. This will help in meeting the traffic requirement progressively over the years. The plan will classify actions under three categories, i.e., immediate, short-term, and long-term,” the statement said.
In a letter to the General Managers of all Zonal Railways, Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar said that the proposed plan should be specific, with clear timelines and defined outcomes. While this exercise focuses on specific stations, each Zonal Railway should plan to increase train handling capacity across their divisions, ensuring that not only terminal capacity is enhanced but also sectional capacity and operational constraints at stations and yards are effectively addressed.
(IANS)
