The Hindu Business Line : Railways proposes higher expenditure during XI Plan

A significant portion of the increase in expenditure would be directed towards building new lines (of about 2,000 km), doubling of track, electrification, computerisation, rolling stock, signalling and telecommunication works, and bridge works, amongst others.

Huge increase

From the huge projected increase in expenditure, the Railways expects to garner at least 30 per cent of resources (Rs 73,000 crore) through public private partnership projects in the areas that include freight corridor project, rolling stock manufacturing units, station modernisation, land development, budget hotels, cleaning of station and trains.

In terms of traffic projections, the Railways aims to move 1,100 million tonnes (mt) of freight per annum by 2011-12, which is the last year of the XI Plan period, as against the expected target of 726 mt in 2006-07, said the Indian Railways Executive Director, Mr Shakeel Ahmed, while speaking at international railways conference organised by Confederation of Indian Industry and the Indian Railways.

There are similar projections for passengers also, with the Railways planning to move 8,400 million passengers in 2011-12.

This is against a projected passenger movement of 6,400 million during 2006-07.

MISSION 2015

On a longer-term basis, the Indian Railways has set a mission 2015 wherein it has targeted moving more than double the volume of freight, increase the average speed of trains and reduce the unit cost of transportation.

It has targeted to move 1,500 mt of freight traffic compared to 670 mt levels now. For passengers, it has set a target of moving 10,000 million as against 6,000 passengers now.

At the same time, it aims to reduce unit cost of transportation to 30 paise per passenger km from the current level of 42 paise per passenger km. For freight, it wants to reduce the unit cost to 35 paise per net tonne km against the present level of 53 paise per net tonne km.

It also plans to achieve higher speeds for its train by 2015 — of 100 km per hour (kmph) from the current level of 55 kmph for passenger trains and 60 kmph for freight trains as against 24 kmph now.