Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Budget 2020, her second as FM, on Saturday. Until 2016, the Railway budget was presented by the Minister of Railways but that was ended by the Modi government and Suresh Prabhu became the last Railway Minister to present the Railway Budget in 2016. Since then, the Railway Budget has been presented as part of the Union Budget even in Budget 2020.
One of the more significant announcements for Railway in Budget 2020 was the announcement of the Rs 18,600 crore plan for 140 km long Bengaluru suburban rail. It was also proposed that large solar power capacity will be set alongside railway tracks on railway owned land. It was also announced that more Tejas type trains will be launched across the country. Four station redevelopment programs will also be launched under the PPP model. High-speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will also be actively pursued.
In the Union Budget last year, it was decided that the Indian Railways would require an investment of 50 lakh crores between 2018 and 2030. It was determined that the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) would be used effectively for faster development and delivery of passenger freight services. It was also decided that Indian Railways will be encouraged to invest more in urban and suburban regions.
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