Union Budget 2022: What is likely to be presented in the Railway Budget?

This year’s Rail Budget will focus on making long-distance travel comfortable, strengthening the railway network in electoral states and enhancing connectivity in metro cities as well as in the Northeast region. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her fourth budget on Tuesday (February 1).

This will be the sixth joint budget after the merger of the Railway Budget with the Union Budget in 2017. According to the information, it is expected that the Center will increase the railway budget by 15 to 20 percent this year.

With assembly elections in five states, the Center may announce new railway facilities for common passengers. Although the Railways incurred a loss of Rs 26,338 crore in the last one year, but this time the rail budget is expected to be increased to about Rs 2.5 lakh crore. Last year, the Center had allocated a record budget of Rs 1,10,055 crore for the Railways.

The Center may propose electrification of a record 7,000 km of railway track this time as part of its efforts to achieve complete electrification of broad-gauge railway lines by the end of 2023. The lower and middle classes pay special attention to the railroad. As a budget, they share a deep connection with the Railways, which is considered the lifeline of the country. There is also a possibility of announcement of high speed trains in the budget.

Plans are being made to strengthen rail connectivity in election states and metro cities. For this the government can involve some private partners. Bullet train between New Delhi and Varanasi can also be announced in the budget. Significantly, the work of the first bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is already underway.

Similarly, the announcement of bullet train on Delhi-Howrah route is also expected in the budget. Announcement of semi-high-speed trains on the Golden Quadrilateral route, expansion of Vande Bharat Express and new dedicated freight corridors are also expected.

According to sources, the special focus in the Rail Budget will be on the Golden Quadrilateral routes, on which the government can announce to run semi-high speed trains running at a speed of 180 to 200 kmph. These trains will be like Vande Bharat Express.

Replacement of old ICF coaches in all trains and installation of new LHB coaches is another major announcement expected in the budget.

About ten new light trains (aluminum ones) may be announced for long distance travel, which are energy efficient. Similarly, 6,500 aluminum coaches, 1,240 engines and about 35,000 wagons can be proposed in the budget.

Railways is also manufacturing several special trains with LHB coaches made of German technology in place of conventional IPS coaches. Also the coaches for a new ‘Deccan Queen’ are being manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.

Two specially designed coaches, five AC chair car coaches, 12 non AC chair car coaches and one pantry cum dining coach have been made for this new ‘Deccan Queen’. This train will have 20 coaches and each one will have its own specialty. On the same lines, other trains are also expected to be announced in the budget.

In the Rail Budget, the Center will also focus on expanding the rail network in the Northeast region.

In the last budget also, the Finance Minister had announced plans to build new DFC corridors for routes like East Coast, East-West and North-South. Just before Manipur elections, for the first time after independence, a goods train arrived at Rani Gaidinliu railway station in Tamenglong district of Manipur.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav recently took stock of the Jiribam-Imphal new line project in Manipur through aerial survey. The project includes the longest tunnel in the country, which will connect Guwahati and Imphal. Vaishnav had said that this year Rs 7,000 crore has been allocated for various rail projects in the Northeast.

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