Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said on Saturday that the Indian Railways is planning to expand seven major railway corridors and convert them into four parallel tracks (four-track), after which more than 1,000 additional regular trains can be run. This expansion includes routes connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. It also includes three diagonal corridors, including the Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Kolkata and Delhi-Guwahati routes.
Vaishnav said that this expansion of four tracks will increase railway capacity, reduce congestion and reduce pressure on passenger waiting lists and reservation availability. These additional trains will be run only after the completion of the expansion work. The minister also talked about preparations for the festive season, including the creation of 18,000 special trains, around 700 AI-enabled cameras and special holding areas for passengers at around 20 railway stations.
Scheme of four parallel tracks on seven main corridors
Explaining the railway’s long-term capacity expansion plans, Vaishnav said seven major corridors are being expanded and four lines converted to accommodate more train services. These projects include routes connecting Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai, which are part of the country’s ‘Golden Quadrilateral’ railway network. This expansion plan also includes three diagonal corridors. These corridors are: Delhi to Chennai, Mumbai to Kolkata and Delhi to Guwahati.
‘Four-lining’ means that in sections where there are currently two lines, the railway line should be extended and four parallel tracks should be laid. This additional infrastructure will provide more space for the operation of passenger and freight trains, thereby reducing congestion on busy routes.
Vaishnav said the government has prioritized this corridor to increase capacity and overcome the problem of delays caused by heavy traffic on the existing railway line. He also mentioned the frequency of approvals related to railway infrastructure by the Union Cabinet and said that the Prime Minister often approves new projects every second or third Cabinet meeting.
More than 1,000 additional regular trains after track expansion
Indian Railways will be able to run more than 1,000 additional regular trains after the ‘four-lining’ work is completed on these seven corridors, the minister said. Vaishnav said that once this four-layer is completed, we will be able to run more than 1,000 additional regular trains. This will significantly reduce the pressure on waiting lists and availability of reservations.
These proposed additional services will be regular trains, different from special trains run during festivals or other times of heavy rush of passengers. The purpose of this expansion is to increase capacity on busy routes, so that the railway can accommodate additional passenger services along with freight traffic.
Pressure on railway lines due to heavy rush of coal traffic and passengers.
Responding to queries regarding delay of trains and excess pressure (congestion) on the network, Vaishnav said that Indian Railways is facing maximum pressure at the moment due to heavy movement of coal and other goods. He said that freight traffic, especially coal, is putting pressure on the existing network, and this at a time when the number of passengers is also very high.
He said that we are currently going through a period of peak congestion. Movement of coal and other goods is at peak. The minister said that as part of efforts to increase capacity, railways have laid 36,000 km of additional tracks in the last 10 years. He emphasized that laying of more tracks and expansion of railway infrastructure is necessary to permanently solve this pressing problem. He said laying of new tracks and increasing capacity is very important. This is a permanent solution. We have to continue laying more tracks.
Railways ran 18,000 special trains for passengers during the festive season.
Additionally, to handle the extra rush of passengers during Durga Puja, Diwali and Chhath, Indian Railways has deployed 18,000 special trains during this festive season. This number is more than the 12,000 special trains run during the same festive season last year. Vaishnav said that special trains have been stopped at many places in Delhi, including Shakur Basti, Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar, Anand Vihar Terminal and areas around New Delhi Railway Station. He also said that Indian Railways had run around 75,000 special trains in the last financial year. This number is expected to cross 80,000 in the current financial year.
700 AI cameras and ‘holding area’ at 20 stations
To streamline passenger movement during the festive rush, the Railways has installed around 700 AI-enabled cameras at stations. ‘Holding areas’ have also been set up at about 20 stations, so that passengers can have a fixed place to wait for their train. The ticket counters have been removed from the station premises and transferred to this ‘holding area’. Additional scanning counters have also been installed to speed up security checks and reduce queues. The purpose of these arrangements is to prevent congestion at the station entrance and to streamline the movement of passengers before entering the main station premises.
General congestion at stations on Chhoti Diwali
Talking about the movement of passengers on Chhoti Diwali, Vaishnav said that the congestion situation at various railway stations had returned to normal on Saturday. He said that even today, on the occasion of Chhoti Diwali, crowd conditions have become normal everywhere. Our effort is to ensure that the situation remains consistent throughout the festive season.
Railways plan to continue this arrangement during the festive season considering the number of passengers traveling for Diwali and Chhath. Immediate steps taken include additional special trains, AI-enabled cameras, holding areas and scanning facilities. At the same time, the seven-corridor expansion aims to increase the long-term capacity of the network, allowing more than 1,000 additional regular trains to run.
