Cabinet approves seven railway projects worth Rs 20,000 crore

The first batch of Vande Bharat sleeper trains to arrive by next year.

As many as seven projects related to railways have been approved in the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The projects are related to the laying of new railway lines and rail line upgradation.

Sources tell CNBC Awaaz that these projects will be completed at a cost of about Rs 20,000 crore. This is part of the preparations to redevelop 508 railway stations across India at a cost of Rs 4,195 crore. The plan is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream project, Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

As many as 16 stations in Haryana will also be modernised at a cost of Rs 608 crore. All the stations will reflect the culture and heritage of the state.

The sources added that these railway projects are in election-bound states. Vande Bharat is also preparing to bring sleeper trains for long distances. According to a report, the first batch of Vande Bharat sleeper trains will arrive by next year.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had recently said that Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) will design the sleeper variant of Vande Bharat trains by the end of December. The first few trains will be ready by March 2024. Last month, the minister had said that by February or March of next year, all three versions of Vande Bharat, including Chair Car, Vande Metro and Vande Sleeper, will be operational.

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