India's bullet train dream to be a reality soon: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reassured that India's ambitious bullet train project is progressing swiftly and remains on track to become a reality soon. He made this statement during the 'News18 India Chaupal,' a platform for political parties, lawmakers, and policymakers to discuss their strategies ahead of the general elections.

Vaishnaw emphasized the rapid progress of work on the bullet train, expressing confidence that the dream of having a high-speed rail network in India will soon be realized. Additionally, he highlighted the efforts to enhance the capacity of the Ayodhya railway station, aiming to accommodate three crore (30 million) devotees annually for darshan.

The minister also affirmed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to delivering on his promises, stating that PM Modi has accomplished what he set out to do. Vaishnaw mentioned the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), revealing that 1,318 railway stations have been identified for development or redevelopment.

Furthermore, he shared details about the Aastha Special train from Andaura to Ayodhya Dham that was flagged off on February 5. The minister's comments were part of a larger discussion on political strategies ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, where he expressed confidence in PM Modi's hat-trick guarantee of victories.

In a broader context, Vaishnaw provided insights into the achievements of the Indian Railways, including its financial performance. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the railways achieved the highest total revenue of ₹2,40,177 crore in the fiscal year 2022-23, with an operating ratio of 98.10 percent. He also highlighted ongoing efforts to address passenger needs and improve accommodations, with measures such as introducing new services, extending existing ones, and augmenting load capacities.

Additionally, Vaishnaw mentioned that the Indian Railways, with over 70 million users, is undertaking systematic timetable rationalization efforts in collaboration with IIT Bombay. This initiative aims to enhance passenger safety by establishing maintenance corridor blocks and reducing conflicts in the existing timetable.