Rail Budget 2016: 11 projects for Central Railway worth Rs 30,000 crore in Budget

Nagpur: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has sanctioned 11 projects worth Rs 30,000 crore for the Central Railway (CR) in the Budget that was presented today, a senior official saidon February 25.

Two elevated suburban corridors and fourth line construction in two sections are the highlights of the Budget for CR, its General Manager S K Sood said here.

"The much awaited elevated suburban corridor between CST and Panvel and Churchgate to Virar are vital for Mumbai rail users," Sood said.

The officer said discussions were going on with Maharashtra government that was planning for an underground Metro but the cost was very high. Probably, a decision has been taken at a higher level about the elevated suburban corridor.

The railways have also sanctioned construction of fourth line between Nagpur and Wardha and Bhusawal and Jalgaon, Sood said.

"Over all the Budget was satisfactory for CR. Seven surveys have also been sanction for rail link between Pune and Nashik and Manmad to Indore," he said.

A mobile app 'clean my coach' was developed by a CR Engineer. The app has been adopted by the Railways through which one can call for cleaning the particular coach and service can be availed in 20 minutes, he said.

Divisional Railway Manager, CR, Nagpur O P Singh said the cord life work between Kalamana and Itwari has helped the diversion of freight traffic from New Delhi to Itwari without entering Nagpur station.

"The remaining work will be completed soon and platform number eight (at Nagpur station) known as home platform will be fully utilised for traffic as terminal point," he added.