Budget allocates ₹5,000 cr for bullet train; MUTP gets ₹550 cr

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has questioned the “usefulness” of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, but that hasn’t stopped the Centre from allocating ₹5,000-crore

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has questioned the “usefulness” of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, but that hasn’t stopped the Centre from allocating ₹5,000-crore for the ambitious project. The budgetary allocation document of the 2020-21 Budget reveals that the Central government has allocated the monies through a special fund – EBR (extra budgetary resources) – and it is four times more than the ₹1,000 crore allotted last year to the project.

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The 508-km-long high-speed corridor, which will cut down travel time between the two cities to around three hours, is estimated to cost ₹1.10 lakh crore.

Besides the bullet train, the budget has allocated ₹500 crore for the construction of a new outstation terminus at Jogeshwari; ₹550 crore for different works under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).

The allocation of funds for MUTP is, however, less than last year’s ₹578.70 crore. While MUTP-2 involves works to separate suburban and outstation train corridors, MUTP-3 and MUTP-3A are meant to improve connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and procure air-conditioned locals.

Passenger amenities on the suburban railway network, too, have got a fillip with an allocation of ₹295.6 crore, a hike from ₹284 crore last year. This includes ₹38.5 crore for passenger amenities such as construction of foot overbridges at Dadar, Lower Parel, Prabhadevi, Mulund, Goregaon, Bandra, Vikhroli, Vasai Road, Titwala, Nallasopara, Atgaon, Virar, Ulhasnagar, Kasara, Ambivali, Vasind, Wadala, Govandi and Tilak Nagar railway stations. Funds have also been allocated for regirdering, construction of road overbridges at Charni Road, Prabhadevi, Vikhroli and Kalyan. Rebuilding of station building at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Andheri and Borivli has been approved too.

“The budget has allocated funds for passenger amenities on the entire Central Railway. Money for construction of new foot overbridges, replacement of earlier bridges, installing escalators has been allocated,” said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relation officer, Central Railway.

Passenger associations, however, said the budget has not brought in big changes or introduced new works on either of the suburban railway networks. “Money has been allocated for construction of FOBs, escalators, but no major changes have been introduced. The ₹550 crore, which has been allocated for MUTP projects, should be utilised properly by the Railways and the state,” said Subhash Gupta, president, Rail Yatri Parishad.