In Budget 2023-24, the highest ever capital allocation of Rs. 2.4 lakh crores has been made for the Ministry of Railways. Immense thrust is given for development of infrastructure, modernization of stations and trains, enhancement of connectivity, safety and comfort for the passengers.
More Details:
- There has been consistent increase in average annual budget outlay for Railways in Karnataka. Between 2009-14 the average annual outlay was Rs. 835 crores. Between 2014 – 2022 the same was Rs. 3424 crores.
- In the present budget the outlay for South Western Railway stands at Rs. 7850 crores (excl allocation for BSRP – ie Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project). The total outlay is Rs. 9200 crores for SWR. The allocation for the state of Karnataka is Rs. 7,561 crores.
- Continuing the emphasis on enhancing infrastructure to provide connectivity, an allocation of Rs. 2423 crores for New Line, Rs. 1529 crores for Doubling have been made. Further, in order to connect the hitherto unconnected towns/cities with population of 50,000 or above, a sanction of Rs. 60,000 crores have been made with an outlay of Rs.1 Crore in the present budget. This will help in speedy execution of viable new line projects, which will result in enhancing connectivity and promoting trade and commerce in smaller towns.
- It has been the vision of Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi to offer world class amenities to every common railway passenger: in line with it, all major stations are being redeveloped.
- The redevelopment work has commenced at Bengaluru Cantonment and Yesvantpur stations already. Under the Amrit Bharat’ Scheme, 52 no. of stations in SWR will be taken up for redevelopment. The Amrit Bharat scheme is a policy for major upgradation of stations with an objective to improve the ease of movement of passengers and integration of stations with surrounding areas.
- The architectural planning would be given due importance to improve the overall look of the stations. Emphasis would be on upgradation of station building as iconic structures with modern state of the art facilities and futuristic design, with entry from both sides, ease of access to passengers, roof plaza etc.
- The upgraded stations will have focus on sustainability and stations would emerge as ‘city – centres’ with amenities for leisure, infotainment, business, retail outlets etc. Pan-India Rs 30,000 crores have been set aside for this purpose.
Following is the allocation (in Rs. crores), for major New Line and Doubling Projects:
Allocation for New Line Projects:
| S. No. | Name of the project | Cost in Rs. crores |
| 1 | Gadag (Talkal) – Wadi | 350 (150 through GoK) |
| 2 | Ginigera – Raichur | 300 |
| 3 | Tumakuru – Davangere (Via Chitradurga) | 420.85 (GoK 200) |
| 4 | Tumakuru – Rayadurga (Via Kalyandurga) | 350 |
| 5 | Bagalkot – Kudachi | 360 (GoK 150) |
| 6 | Shivamogga – Shikaripura – Ranebennur | 150 |
| 7 | Belagavi – Dharwad (Via Kittur) | 10 |
| 8 | Marikuppam – Kuppam | 200 |
| 9 | Kadur – Chikkamagaluru – Hassan | 145 |
| 10 | Malagur – Palasamudram | 20 |
Allocation for Doubling Projects:
| S. No. | Name of the project | Cost in Rs. crores |
| 1 | Gadag – Hotgi | 170 |
| 2 | Penukonda – Dharmavaram | 120 |
| 3 | Baiyappanahalli – Hosur | 100 |
| 4 | Yesvantpur – Channasandra | 85 |
| 5 | Londa – Miraj | 200 |
| 6 | Hubballi – Chikjajur | 150 |
| 7 | Bengaluru Cantt – Whitefield Quadrupling | 250 |
| 8 | Hosapete – Tinaighat – Vasco da Gama | 400 |
- For the Railway Electrification in SWR, Rs. 793.3 crores have been allocated in this budget. SWR has completed 2243 route km so far which is more than 60% of the entire network.
Allocation for Electrification Projects:
| S. No. | Name of the project | Cost in Rs. crores |
| 1 | Gadag – Hotgi | 110 |
| 2 | Chikbanavar – Hubballi | 128 |
| 3 | Birur – Talguppa | 56 |
| 4 | Hassan – Mangaluru | 134 |
| 5 | Miraj – Londa | 182 |
| 6 | Hosapete – Hubballi – Vasco da Gama | 20 |
| 7 | Chikbanavar – Hassan | 77 |
- For safety works, i.e. Road Over Bridge and Road Under Bridge works, Rs. 242 crores have been allocated. The policy with regard to ROB has been revised.
- To improve the faster execution of the work all future works will be 100% funded either by Railway or state government based on the priority. The allocation for traffic facilities works is Rs. 100 crores. Rs. 10 crores have been allocated for carrying out the survey of 44 New Line Projects.
General Manager Shri Sanjeev Kishore has stated that there has been an unprecedented infusion of capital. In the era of Amrit Kaal, this will go a long way in improving railway infrastructure, thereby enhancing connectivity in SWR.
Source: South Western Railway- Press Release | Image Credit (representational): Southern Railway
