Railway Ministry to invest Rs.82,000 crore in Eastern Freight Corridor

This was disclosed by the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu in Kolkata on Friday.

Addressing a special session of the Bharat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Minister said the Railways will invest an amount of 120 Billion US Dollars in the next 5 years for an all-round growth.

Stressing upon the need to augment facilities for both passenger and cargo, he said the state governments are also requested come together with Railways for the purpose and so far 17 states have responded positively.

In this context, he revealed that the Maharastra government expressed willingness to invest Rs.10,000 crores for the improvement of Railways in the state.

The Minister, in his address on the role of Indian Railways to facilitate the growth of Indian Economy, stated that Railways could always contribute 2-3% to GDP on standalone basis.

Outlining future growth prospects, he said 400 railway stations in the country will be upgraded in a significant manner.

The public sector giants like the Coal India and Steel Authority etc. are coming up to make partnership with the Railways, he added.

Prabhu also said that his Ministry is very keen to increase freight as well as passenger traffic.

The Railways have taken a lofty target on 1.2 billion tonne of cargo handling this year, he added.

Reiterating his commitment to ensure transparency in the Railways, the Minister also announced that all the recruitment tests will be taken online in future to maintain transparency and honesty.