To give relief to passengers from overcrowding and the rush for tickets, Indian Railways has taken an important decision. A master plan has been prepared to double the operating capacity of trains in 48 major cities by the year 2030.
This move will directly benefit ordinary passengers, as getting confirmed tickets will become much easier in the future.
According to Railways, passenger demand is continuously increasing, so upgrading infrastructure to meet future needs is very important.
Development of Nearby Stations
Along with increasing the capacity of main stations, nearby railway stations will also be developed. For example, apart from Pune station, Hadapsar, Khadki, and Aland stations will also be upgraded.
This entire scheme will be implemented in phases over the next five years, so passengers can start getting benefits at the earliest.
Increase in Platforms, Stabling Lines, and Pit Lines
Under this Railway plan, the number of new platforms will be increased at existing terminals.
In addition, more stabling lines will be created for parking trains, and pit lines will be added for better maintenance of trains. This will help Railways handle more trains efficiently.
Signalling Upgrade and Multi-Tracking
Railways will also upgrade signalling systems to improve train movement and safety.
New terminals will be built around cities, and the number of train tracks (multi-tracking) will be increased.
This will allow more trains to run at the same time, reducing delays and congestion.
Cities Where Train Capacity Will Increase
The plan will be implemented in several major cities across India:
Metro Cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad
North India: Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ayodhya
Central & West India: Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, Bhopal, Indore, Surat, Vadodara
East & South India: Patna, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Cochin, Mysore, Tirupati
Work Divided into Three Phases
According to Railways, this plan will cover both suburban (local) and long-distance (non-suburban) trains.
The Railway Board has instructed all zonal railways to complete the work within the deadline by dividing it into three categories:
Immediate
Short-term
Long-term
Change in Passenger Fare Structure
It is also important to note that a new railway passenger fare structure has come into effect from Friday.
Under this, fares for non-suburban travel in sleeper, first class, and ordinary class have been increased by one paisa per kilometer.
