Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is all set to table the Union Budget 2022 in Parliament on February 1 at 11 am. Every state and sector is expecting that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will bring something positive for them in the Union Budget 2022. However, the Railways sector is all braced up to for a series of announcements as reports suggest that the Union Budget 2022 will be bringing a lot for this particular sector. It is pertinent to mention here that along with Union Budget, the Railways Budget will also be presented, the sixth since the Modi government had merged Railways Budget with Union Budget.
What Railways can expect from the Union Budget 2022?
As per reports, the government of India is likely to increase the Rail budget by 15 to 20 percent this year. With the Assembly elections in five states knocking the doors, the Centre can announce new railway facilities for the common passengers.
Indian Railways: General status of balance sheet
As per reports, the Indian Railways bore the loss of a whopping Rs 26,338 crore in the last year due to the COVID pandemic and numerous lockdowns. Therefore, it is expected that the Centre will increase the Railways budget to around Rs 2.5 lakh crore. It is pertinent to mention here that the Government of India allocated a record budget of Rs 1,10,055 crore for the Railways.
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100% electrification of Railways expected in Union Budget 2022
In the Union Budget 2022, Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to announce 100% Railways electrification by 2023. As per reports, the Centre is most likely to propose the electrification of a record 7,000 km of railway track this time as part of its efforts to achieve complete electrification of broad-gauge railway lines by the end of 2023.
Bullet Train in Union Budget 2022
Reports further state that the Union Budget 2022 will mention the Bullet Train Project. The Bullet Train project is PM Modi's dream project ever since he has become the Prime Minister of India. As per reports, the government can involve private partners to bolster the rail connectivity in the poll-bound states and metro cities. A bullet train between New Delhi to Varanasi and Delhi to Howrah is also expected. Notably, , the work of the first bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is already underway.