New Delhi: Presenting the Union Budget 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government plans to deploy two new technologies — ‘MetroLite’ and ‘MetroNeo’ –to provide metro rail systems at much lesser cost with same experience, convenience and safety in tier-2 cities and peripheral areas of tier-1 cities.
It may be noted that metro train services are expanding all across the country at a rapid pace. Total 702 km of conventional metro is operational and another 1,016 km of metro and regional rapid transit system (RRTS) is under construction in 27 cities.
The Budget proposed central counterpart funding to Kochi Metro Railway Phase-II of 11.5 km at a cost of Rs 1,957.05 crore, Chennai Metro Railway Phase II of 118.9 km at a cost of Rs 63,246 crore.
Besides, it proposed such funding to Bengaluru Metro Railway Project Phase 2A and 2B of 58.19 km at a cost of Rs 14,788 crore, Nagpur Metro Rail Project Phase-II and Nashik Metro at a cost of Rs 5,976 crore and Rs 2,092 crore, respectively.
The FM announced Rs 1,10,055 crore for Railways of which Rs 1,07,100 crore is for capital expenditure. National Rail Plan for India (2030): to create a ‘future ready’ Railway system by 2030, 100% electrification of Broad-Gauge routes to be completed by December, 2023, FM said.
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Broad Gauge Route Kilometers (RKM) electrification to reach 46,000 RKM, i.e. 72% by end of 2021. Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and Eastern DFC to be commissioned by June 2022, to bring down the logistic costs – enabling Make in India strategy, the FM said.
