Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw hailed the announcements made in the Budget for Indian Railways. He said that ₹1.37 lakh crore capital investment support will help complete the stalled railways projects.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman made some special announcements for the Railways ministry, stating in her Budget speech on Tuesday that 400 new Vande Bharat trains will be introduced and 100 PM GatiShakti cargo terminals built in the next three years.
She also announced that 2,000 km of the rail network will be brought under the indigenous world-class technology KAWACH.
Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw lauded the announcements and also informed what the KAWACH technology entails.
“The indigenously-developed anti-collision technology is SIL4 certified which means there is the probability of a single error in 10,000 years,” Vaishnaw said.
“The new Vande Bharat and KAWACH announcement will change passenger experience. There are funds for redevelopment and modernization of stations,” he added.
What is the KAWACH system?
KAWACH is an anti-collision device (ACD) network. Based on radio communication, microprocessors and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, it will help Indian Railways achieve the goal of ‘zero accidents’.
When mounted on two approaching trains, the technology would enable them to assess accurately each other’s course and initiate an ‘automatic’ braking action, in case they were perceived to be on ‘collision risk’.
New Vande Bharat trains
Sitharaman said in her Budget speech that 400 new-generation Vande Bharat trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience will be developed and manufactured during the next three years.
These new train sets are going to be made of light-weight aluminium, as opposed to steel, making each around 50 tonnes lighter in weight, consuming much less energy than their steel counterparts, she informed Parliament.
The railways plans to run these trains on at least 75 routes by August 15, 2023, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech.
Other announcements made for railways
The minister also welcomed the announcement of ₹1.37 lakh crore capital investment support for the Railways. Vaishnaw said that it will help complete the stalled railways projects.
