400 new Vande Bharat trains to be introduced: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced that 400 new Vande Bharat trains will be introduced and the Railways will also develop new products for small farmers and MSMEs.

Presenting the Union Budget for 2022-23, she said contracts for multi-modal parks at four locations will be awarded during the next fiscal.

''400 new-generation Vande Bharat trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience will be developed and manufactured during the next three years,'' she said.

These new trainsets 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 added that 100 PM Gati Shakti terminals would also be set up in the next three years.

''Railways will develop new products and efficient logistics services for small farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises, besides taking the lead in integration of Postal and Railways networks to provide seamless solutions for movement of parcels.

''One Station-One Product concept will be popularized to help local businesses and supply chains,'' she said.

As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km network will be brought under 'Kavach', the indigenous world-class technology for safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23, she said.

The Finance minister said 100 PM GatiShakti Cargo Terminals for multi-modal logistics facilities will be developed during the next three years.

''Innovative ways of financing and faster implementation will be encouraged for building metro systems of appropriate type at scale. Multi-modal connectivity between mass urban transport and railway stations will be facilitated on priority. ''Design of metro systems, including civil structures, will be re-oriented and standardized for Indian conditions and needs,'' she said.

Railways is already manufacturing 44 Vande Bharat trains, in order to have these trains running on at least 75 routes by August 15, 2023, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)