The Indian Railways has finalised a Rs 24,000 crore (Rs 240 billion) integrated modernisation plan spread over a five-year period beginning 2005.

The railways has demanded additional budgetary support of a little over Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) for the modernisation plan. Of the remaining amount, it expects Rs 4,000 crore (Rs 40 billion) from the Special Railway Safety Fund, Rs 4,000 crore (Rs 40 billion) from internal generation and Rs 6,000 crore (Rs 60 billion) from market borrowings.

The plan envisages development of dedicated freight corridors, joining the major metros with the ports, which would allow freight trains to run at 100 km per hour. Also, axle load, especially on iron-ore lines, is proposed to be increased and more focus the on roll-on-roll-off scheme is planned.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had recently directed Railways Minister Lalu Prasad to finalise an integrated modernisation plan on modernisation and safety, increasing the level of commercial activities, improving port connectivity and focusing on commercial utilisation of surplus land available with the railways.

The plan drawn up by the railways aims at an over 6 per cent growth in freight traffic and targets 776 million tonnes of terminal year freight loading.

Passenger traffic is expected to grow at 3.5 per cent and 6.4 billion originating passengers are expected to be ferried by the railways by 2010. It will focus on the development of high speed tracks, expansion of computerised passenger reservation system and improved safety features on coaches.

Strengthening existing corridors and improving line capacity to increase throughput and speed are part of the agenda. The railways are looking at developing dedicated freight corridors and increasing freight train speed to about 100 km per hour, up from the current average of less than 40 km per hour, said officials.

For the next fiscal, the railways had asked for Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) to be spent on a new special throughput programme and Rs 400 crore (Rs 4 billion) for implementation of the corporate safety plan.

The throughput programme, aimed at increasing freight traffic, is a new initiative that the railways is planning to introduce. Sixty-two capacity enhancement works are to be completed under the programme by 2006-07 and the total cost is estimated at Rs 3,200 crore (Rs 32 billion).

Chug berries

• The railways has demanded additional budgetary support of a little over Rs 10,000 crore for the modernisation plan
• Of the remaining amount, it expects Rs 4,000 crore from the Special Railway Safety Fund, Rs 4,000 crore from internal generation and Rs 6,000 crore from market borrowings
• The plan envisages development of dedicated freight corridors, joining the major metros with the ports, which would allow freight trains to run at 100 km per hour