Railway minster hails record allocations to Telangana railway projects in Union Budget
Hyderabad: The inauguration of Cherlapally railway station, which is set for D-day, will add an envious chapter in the history of Indian railways, and especially so for South Central Railway (SCR), as this will mark 100 per cent electrification of the railway network in Telangana.
Appreciating the progress of MMTS second phase and Regional Ring Road (RRR), railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday hailed the Union Budget for making a record allocation of Rs 5,336 crore for railway projects in Telangana during 2024-25. Indian Railways has been allocated Rs 2,62,000 crore for the year 2024-25.
He said a substantial Rs 1.09 lakh crore has been allocated to Indian railways towards safety related activities.
Interacting with the media virtually, along with SCR general manager Arun Kumar, the minister, drawing comparisons, stated that the annual average budget outlay for the combined Andhra Pradesh from 2009-14 was a meagre Rs 886 crore.
However, the minister did not divulge any details when asked about the likely introduction of Vande Bharat express between Secunderabad and Nagpur and the status of the coach factory at Kazipet. Vaishnaw said that the total cost of on-going projects (new tracks) in Telangana was around Rs 32,946 crore. He pointed out that in the last ten years, 65 km (average per year) of new tracks have been laid across Telangana as compared to just 17 km during 2009-2014.
As part of their safety measures in the state, they have constructed 437 RoBs and RuBs while 40 stations are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat station scheme, Vaishnaw said.
