Rs 3,383 cr earmarked for Haryana to boost railway infrastructure

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, July 24

An amount of Rs 3,383 crore has been earmarked for Haryana to strengthen the railway infrastructure and development works for the fiscal 2024-25, compared to Rs 2,247 crore allocated last year. While sharing details about state-wise Budget allocation through video conferencing, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said there is a record Budget allocation for Haryana.

The minister highlighted the achievements of the Railways and said, “Haryana has been witnessing good development and there is a remarkable increase in the Budget allocation for the state The entire railway network in the state has been electrified, and 508 railway flyovers and under-bridges have been constructed over the past 10 years.”

As many as 34 stations of Haryana, including Ambala City, Bahadurgarh, Ballabgarh, Bhattu, Bhiwani junction, Charkhi Dadri, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hansi, Hisar, Jind, Kalka, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Sirsa, Sonepat, and Yamunanagar-Jagadhri, were selected for redevelopment and these stations will undergo significant upgrade to improve passenger amenities and services.

As per the Railways, in terms of infrastructure development, the average annual construction of new tracks has grown from 71 km between 2009 and 2014 to 82 km during the 2014-2024 period. Currently, there are 14 ongoing projects aimed at constructing new tracks across 1,195 km, at a cost of Rs 15,875 crore, to enhance the state’s rail network and connectivity.

Mandeep Singh Bhatia, DRM, Ambala Division, said, Rs 2,500 crore has been allocated for new lines under the Ambala division. Similarly, Rs 166.5 crore has been allocated for doubling of railway lines. While Rs 99.98 crore has been allocated for Rajpura-Bathinda rail section, Rs 66.69 crore has been earmarked for Ludhiana-Kilaraipur rail section.

Ambala Cantt to be world-class station

The work under the Amrit Bharat Station is at advanced stage. The Ambala Cantonment railway station will also be developed as a world-class station. — Mandeep Singh Bhatia, divisional railway manager, Ambala division