New Delhi, Dec 26: In view of the rapid sustained growth in demand of travel, the Indian Railways has decided to double originating train capacity in 48 major cities by 2030.
The current infrastructure serving needs to be augmented so as to meet the requirements of upcoming years. The works for doubling the originating capacity by the year 2030 would include augmenting the current terminals with additional platforms, stabling lines, pit lines, and adequate shunting facilities.
Besides, it would include identifying and creating new terminals in and around the urban area, maintenance facilities, increasing the sectional capacity with traffic facility works, signaling upgradation, and multitracking required for handling increased trains at various points.
While planning for increasing capacity of terminals, stations around terminals will also be considered so that capacity is evenly balanced.
The above exercise will be done for both suburban as well as non-suburban traffic, keeping in view the distinct requirements of both segments. A comprehensive plan of the 48 major cities will be submitted for the stations to the Planning Directorate. The plan will include the works planned, proposed, or already sanctioned to achieve the goal of doubling the capacity of handling trains in a time-bound manner.
While the plan to double the capacity is by 2030, it is expected that capacity will be increased progressively in the next 5 years so that the benefits of capacity addition can be reaped immediately. This will help in meeting the traffic requirement progressively over the years. The plan will classify actions under three categories-immediate, short-term, and long-term.
The proposed plan should be specific with clear timelines and defined outcomes. While the exercise is for specific stations, however, each ZR should plan for increasing capacity of train running over their divisions so that not only terminal capacity is increased but also the sectional capacity and operational constraints at stations/yards are also addressed.
