Over the last 10 years, Gujarat has seen a substantial increase in fund allocation and the corresponding commissioning of Railway projects. The annual budget outlay for projects falling fully or partly in Gujarat by Indian Railways has escalated more than 14 times, from Rs 589 crore per year during the 2009-14 period to Rs 8,332 crore in 2023-24. The average length of projects commissioned for Gujarat has increased 1.41 times to 186 km per year in the 2014-23 period, up from 132 km per year in the 2009-14 period. This information was shared by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & IT, in the Rajya Sabha on February 2, 2024, in response to questions raised by RSMP Parimal Nathwani.
As of April 1, 2023, a total of 36 Railway infrastructure projects (comprising 6 New Lines, 18 Gauge conversions, and 12 Doubling), spanning a total length of 3,200 km and costing Rs 30,789 crore, are in various stages of planning, approval, or construction in Gujarat. Out of these, 735 km length has been commissioned, and an expenditure of Rs 6,113 crore has been incurred up to March 2023.
The total length of Railway projects commissioned in Gujarat increased to 1,677 km in the 2014-23 period, up from 660 km in the 2009-14 timeframe. Since 2014, there has been a substantial increase in fund allocation and corresponding commissioning of projects across Indian Railways.
In response to the query by Nathwani, the minister assured that details of pending and ongoing railway projects in the state of Gujarat, including the estimated cost, period of completion, expenditure incurred, and the expected completion dates of the projects, would be provided.
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