WB railways allocation highest among states, first hydrogen train to start from Darjeeling

Among the states, Bengal has received the highest budgetary allocation of Rs 11,970 crore for its rail network, which is fiscal, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a virtual press conference. By the end of 2023, pollution-free hydrogen trains will be ready and the country's first such train will run in Bengal, on the historic circuit in Darjeeling, he announced.

"This year, the railways received a record allocation. Bengal got of Rs 11970 crore, thrice the amount of Rs 4380 crore of 2009-2014. We will redevelop 93 stations," Vaishnaw said. 

Out of the total share, Rs 4500 crore has been allocated to Metro Rail. Arun Arora, Managing Director, Eastern Railway said, "Last year Eastern Railway received Rs 2942 crore. This year we have seen a 39% increase and a total of Rs 4078 crore." Four stations – Howrah, Kolkata, Asansol and Bandel – under ER would undergo a major redevelopment.

SER with 4 divisions of Ranchi, Adra, Chakradharpur and Kharagpur in Bengal and Jharkhand saw a 21% increase in gross capital expenditure in this budget - from Rs 5681 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 7168.5 crore in 2023-24, the General Manager said SER Archana Joshi. "The fund will cover 30 Amrit Bharat stations in Bengal out of 69 stations in three states, including Jharkhand and Odisha," she added.