‘Focus should be on the safety and facilities of passengers’- FM Sitharaman

New Delhi| Reviewing the capital expenditure plan of the Railway Ministry, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said officials to focus on the safety and convenience of passengers. During this, she has also asked the officials to accelerate the implementation of Kavach system (India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system) in a phased manner and meet the allocated capital expenditure target within the stipulated time frame.

Railway Ministry officials told the Union Finance Minister that works related to Kavach are currently in progress in more than 3000 RKM (route km) on the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai sections. Underscoring the government’s focus on providing ‘ease of living’ to citizens, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged Railway Ministry officials to focus on capacity building, safety and convenience of passengers, a Finance Ministry statement said.

This includes doubling and electrification of existing railway tracks and laying of new railway lines across the country as per the capital expenditure provided in the Union Budget. The Finance Minister also said that the Railway Ministry should expedite the conversion of 40,000 common rail bogies announced in the Interim Budget 2024-25 to Vande Bharat standards to enhance the safety, convenience and comfort of passengers.

The Finance Minister called on officials to ensure that the capital expenditure target for FY 2024-25 is achieved in a timely manner and build on the momentum achieved in the first 100 days of this government, the Finance Ministry statement said. This meeting was a part of the series of review meetings scheduled with ministries/departments with significant capital expenditure in the Union Budget.