Budget 2022: A rundown of all railway-related announcements since the merger with the Union Budget

*Paromita Das

This year’s Rail Budget will prioritise making long-distance travel more comfortable, expanding the railway network in poll-bound areas, and improving connectivity in urban centres and the Northeast.

On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will submit Budget 2022 in the Lok Sabha, which will be the sixth joint budget since the rail and union budgets merged in 2017.

This year, Rs 70 billion has been set aside for a variety of rail projects in the Northeast.

Following the combination of the Rail Budget and the Union Budget in 2017, this will be the sixth joint Budget.

According to information, the Centre is expected to enhance the Rail budget by 15 to 20% this year.

The Centre can announce new railway facilities for common travellers as Assembly elections in five states approach.

Despite a loss of Rs 263 billion in the previous fiscal year, the Rail Budget is projected to be increased to over Rs 2.5 trillion this year.

The Railways received a record budget of Rs 1.10 trillion from the Centre last year.

As part of its efforts to achieve total electrification of broad-gauge railway lines by the end of 2023, the Centre can also propose the electrification of a record 7,000 km of railway track this time.

The lower and middle classes pay special attention to the Rail Budget because they have a strong bond with the railways, which are regarded as the country’s lifeline. There’s also a chance that high-speed trains will be announced in the Budget.

The Golden Quadrilateral Routes would receive special attention in the Rail Budget, with the government perhaps announcing plans to run semi-high-speed trains at speeds of 180 to 200 kmph. These trains will operate in the same manner as the Vande Bharat Express.

Another important announcement predicted in the Budget is the replacement of obsolete ICF carriages in all trains and the installation of new LHB coaches.

For long-distance travel, approximately ten new light trains are expected to be unveiled. Similarly, a budget request may include plans to build 6,500 aluminium coaches, 1,240 locomotives, and approximately 35,000 waggons.

Railways are also producing a number of unique trains that will replace the traditional IPS carriages with German-made LHB coaches. At the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, coaches for a new ‘Deccan Queen’ are also being built.

Two specially designed guard coaches, five AC chair car coaches, 12 non-AC chair car coaches, and one pantry cum dining coach have all been built for the new ‘Deccan Queen.’ This train will include a total of 20 carriages, each with its unique specialisation. Other trains are expected to be revealed in the Budget along the same lines.

The Centre will also prioritise the expansion of the train network in the Northeast region in the Rail Budget.

The Finance Minister had also announced intentions to create new DFC corridors for routes such as the East Coast, East-West, and North-South in the last Budget. For the first time since independence, a freight train arrived at Rani Gaidinliu railway station in Manipur’s Tamenglong district just before the elections.

An airborne inspection was recently conducted by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to assess the Jiribam-Imphal new line project in Manipur. The project would contain the country’s longest tunnel, which will link Guwahati and Imphal. According to Vaishnaw, Rs 70 billion has been been aside for various rail projects in the Northeast this year.