Tamil Nadu, Kerala get 7-time more budget allocation for railways under NDA for FY25
The budgetary allocation for railway projects in Tamil Nadu for 2024-25 will be Rs 6,331 crore and for Kerala it will be Rs 2,744 crore, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of State for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information and Technology, on Thursday.
Addressing the media via video conference, Vaishnaw said a record allocation of Rs 6,331 crore has been allotted for Tamil Nadu for FY 2024-25, which is seven times the average outlay of Rs 879 crore in the period between 2009 and 2014.
Vaishnaw said 77 railway stations in Tamil Nadu are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, while 654 flyovers/under passes, and 116 foot over bridges have been commissioned in Tamil Nadu in the last 10 years. Also, 213 One Station One Product (OSOP) stalls have been provided at various railway stations in the state.
For Kerala, Vaishnaw said a record allocation of Rs 2,744 crores has been made, which is seven times more than the average outlay of Rs 372 crore between 2009 and 2014.
In Kerala, 92 flyovers/under passes, 34 foot over bridges, 48 lifts have been commissioned while 440 OSOP stalls have been provided in the last 10 years, he said.
Further, 35 stations are being redeveloped in Kerala under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Speed enhancement works and track renewal works are in progress to equip the sections in Kerala to handle semi high-speed trains.
The total budgetary allocation for the Southern Railway for 2024-25 is about Rs 12,173 crore.