300-400 new Vande Bharat trains to be announced in upcoming Union Budget

Approximately 300–400 new Vande Bharat trains may be announced in the Union Budget 2023–24, The Economic Times reported citing a top official in the railway ministry.

The official said to ET that the gross budgetary support (GBS) to be allotted to the national transporter is expected to surpass the Rs 1.37 trillion figure that was earmarked during the Budget 2022-23.

When this allocation for the Indian Railways is declared in the upcoming union budget, it will be the highest one ever, said the official.

Another official said to ET that part of the money to be allocated would also go toward building new tracks with the objective of clearing congestion on the Indian Railways and preparing it for the future.

To achieve freight movement goals, officials estimate that 100,000 kilometres of tracks must be laid, including doubling the length of current tracks within the next 25 years.

The first official quoted above added that the existing Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) have already begun to near saturation. “The approach should move towards multi tracking in congested portions of the Railway network to ease freight movement with the goal of 3000 million tonnes per annum of goods being ferried by 2030,” the official said to ET.

According to estimates, this year’s freight growth will be between 8.5 and 10 per cent. As the railway routes become less congested, this will increase to 12–14 per cent annually.

It is expected that the Union Budget 2023-23 will also have an announcement regarding the sleeper class for overnight journeys in Vande Bharat trains, which mostly have chair-car coaches.