In a major push to meet rapidly growing passenger demand, Indian Railways has announced plans to double the train origination capacity of major cities over the next five years, with the target set for completion by 2030. The initiative aims to reduce congestion at busy stations, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen nationwide rail connectivity. The Ministry of Railways has identified 48 major cities under the expansion plan.

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"In view of the rapid sustained growth in demand for travel, the capacity of major cities to originate new trains needs to be doubled from the current level in the next 5 years. The current infrastructure serving needs to be augmented so as to meet the requirements of upcoming years," the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.

Comprehensive Plan for 48 Major Cities

The exercise will be done for both suburban and non-suburban traffic, keeping in view the distinct requirements of both segments. A comprehensive plan of the 48 major cities is under consideration. The plan will include the works planned, proposed, or already sanctioned to achieve the goal of doubling the capacity of handling trains in a time-bound manner, the Railways Ministry said.

Key Metro Cities Identified

These cities include Delhi, Mumbai (CR and WR), Kolkata (including ER, SER and Kolkata Metro), Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Pune.

Northern and Central Region Expansion

Other key cities in the northern and central regions include Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Agra, Mathura, Ayodhya, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jammu, and Bareilly.

Eastern and Northeastern Hubs

In the eastern and northeastern parts of India, the cities identified for capacity enhancement include Patna, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Ranchi, Tatanagar, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Guwahati, and Kolkata.

Southern and Western Cities on the List

The southern and western regions are represented by cities such as Nagpur, Vadodara, Surat, Madgaon, Cochin, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Mysore, and Coimbatore.

Infrastructure Augmentation and Development

The expansion plan focuses on augmenting existing railway terminals by adding new platforms, stabling lines, pit lines, and shunting facilities. In parallel, new coaching terminals will be developed in and around urban areas, along with the creation of advanced maintenance facilities such as mega coaching complexes, the Railways Ministry added.

Indian Railways will also enhance sectional capacity through traffic facility works, signalling upgrades, and multitracking projects to handle the increased number of trains. While planning terminal expansion, nearby stations will be integrated into the capacity-building exercise to ensure balanced development across urban rail networks. (ANI)