• Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji, Hon’ble Minister of Railways Briefs Media on Budget Highlights
• Total investment of Rs. 84,559 Crore for development of various Railway projects in Andhra Pradesh State

The Union Budget, which includes allocations to the Railways, was presented on the floor of Parliament on 1st February 2025. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji, Hon’ble Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & IT, Government of India, held a virtual press conference on 3rd February 2025, from New Delhi on the highlights of allocations pertaining to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states. Shri Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager of South Central Railway, along with other senior Railway officials, participated in the press meet at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad. Divisional Railway Managers from Vijayawada, Guntur, and Guntakal Divisions participated through video link from their respective divisional headquarters.

Highlights of Railway Budget Pertaining to Andhra Pradesh State:

Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that Andhra Pradesh State has been sanctioned a record budget allocation of Rs. 9,417 crore for the year 2025-26. He noted that the annual average budget outlay for combined Andhra Pradesh State during the years 2009-14 was only Rs. 886 crore. The budget allocation for Andhra Pradesh has witnessed an 11-fold increase compared to the average allocation during the 2009-14 period for the combined state.

The Hon’ble Minister stated that an amount of Rs. 84,559 crore is being invested in various rail development projects in Andhra Pradesh. He also informed that the railway network in Andhra Pradesh is now 100% electrified. He highlighted that South Central Railway (SCR) is leading in the installation of Kavach, with 1,465 km commissioned across its jurisdiction. The goal is to deploy Kavach throughout the entire rail network in the country over the next six years. Additionally, he mentioned that 1,560 km of new railway track has been constructed in Andhra Pradesh in the last 10 years, which is more than the entire rail network of Sri Lanka.

Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw further stated that 8 Vande Bharat trains are being operated in Andhra Pradesh, covering 15 districts and having 21 stoppages. The Amrit Bharat Express running between Malda Town and Bengaluru has 14 stoppages in Andhra Pradesh. He also noted that the redevelopment of 73 railway stations in Andhra Pradesh has been undertaken under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The Minister announced the approval of 50 new Namo Bharat trains, 200 Vande Bharat trains, and 100 new Amrit Bharat trains, with their operations to be announced in due course.

The Hon’ble Union Minister also mentioned that Railways has undertaken a significant mission to replace old tracks, with 7,000 km of track replacement planned. Indian Railways is also planning to upgrade railway tracks to accommodate train speeds of 160 km/h on important sections. Some routes will be upgraded to allow trains to run at speeds of 130 km/h, and the entire network will have the capacity to run trains at 100 km/h.

Source/SCR