In a major relief for the working class and those using Mumbai local for their day-to-day travel, the Indian Railways is set to induct 238 new AC trains in the city’s network to ease commuters’ woes. Union Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a joint press conference today where the leaders shared key decisions taken for the public.
“Many projects are going on for every sector in the whole of Maharashtra. Production of 238 new AC trains for Mumbai will start soon. That will be another major improvement in the city transportation. Railways will also be included in the Mumbai One Card. Overall, the railway network will grow very fast in Maharashtra,” said Vaishnaw.
The ‘MUMBAI-1’ single card system will allow people to use all public transportation in Mumbai region with just one card.
“A number of railway projects are progressing rapidly in Mumbai. Projects such as the 5th and 6th lines between CSMT and Kurla, the 6th line between Mumbai Central and Borivali, and the 4th line between Kalyan and Asangaon are part of a Rs 17,000 crore investment,” said the railway minister.
Vaishnaw shared that Maharashtra has been allocated Rs 23,778 crore in this year’s budget. “In contrast, during the 2004–2014 period, the state used to receive just Rs 1,171 crore as railway budget. Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, Maharashtra is now receiving 20 times that amount — a transformation that is set to completely overhaul the state’s railway network,” said Vaishnaw.
He added that a fourth line between Manmad and Jalgaon was sanctioned at a cost of Rs 2,700 crore. “The third and fourth lines between Bhusawal and Khandwa were sanctioned at Rs 3,500 crore. Now, the doubling of the Gondia-Balharshah line has been sanctioned at Rs 4,800 crore. In total, Rs 1,73,804 crore is being invested in various railway projects across Maharashtra,” he said.