'Confirmed Tickets For All In Next 5 Years': Railway Minister On PM Modi's Guarantee

‘confirmed tickets for all in next 5 years’: ashwini vaishnaw on pm modi’s guarantee

New Delhi: Union Minister for the Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has guaranteed that in the next five years, almost any passenger wanting to travel would easily get a confirmed ticket. During an interaction with news agency IANS, the Railways Minister said that in the past 10 years, the Prime Minister has done a remarkable transformation in the Railways.

The Union Minister said, “In the next five years, PM Modi guarantees that the capacity of the Railways will be increased so much that almost any passenger who wants to travel can easily get a confirmed ticket.”

He shared an example of the Indian Railways’ transformation over the last decade, stating that between 2004 and 2014, only 17,000 kilometers of railway tracks were constructed. He said, “From 2014 to 2024, 31,000 kilometres of new tracks were built. In the 10 years from 2004 to 2014, only around 5,000 kilometres were electrified, whereas in the last 10 years, a staggering 44,000 kilometres of railway electrification took place.”

He further added, “Only 32,000 coaches were made from 2004-2014. In the last 10 years, 54,000 coaches were built. For the dedicated freight corridor, not even a single kilometre was commissioned before 2014. Now, two dedicated freight corridors of 2,734 kilometres have been commissioned.”

Over the next five years, the Railways, a critical part of the country’s economic growth, “will be further strengthened and the facilities, especially for the passengers, will be expanded at a much faster pace,” he said.

His statement comes amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections that kicked off on April 19 with its first phase. Polling for the second phase will be held on April 26 in a total of 89 parliamentary constituencies across 13 states and UTs. The result of the Lok Sabha elections will be announced on June 4.

(With inputs from IANS)