
BENGALURU: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said 1,652 km of new rail tracks have been laid across Karnataka since 2014. This exceeds the entire railway network of Sri Lanka, he added.
Briefing media persons in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu virtually in the light of Union budget, he said, “An average of 150 km of new tracks were laid annually (in Karnataka) which marks a significant improvement over an average of 113 km laid during 2009-2014.”
Tendering has been initiated to instal the Kavach safety system across 1,672 km in Karnataka.
Electrification has been completed in 96.5% of the rail network in Karnataka which includes parts of South Western Railway, South Central Railway, Southern Railway and Central Railway. “An average electrification of 294 km per year has been done during 2014-25 which is 16 times more compared to the average of 18 km per year during 2009-14,” he said.
There has been a consistent increase in the average annual budget outlay for Railways in Karnataka. “For FY 2025-26, it is Rs 7,564 crore, an increase from Rs 7,559 crore allocated in FY 2024-25,” je said.
Additionally, 61 Amrit stations are being developed with an investment of Rs 1,981 crore. Since 2014, 644 rail flyovers and underbridges have been constructed to improve connectivity and reduce congestion.
“To enhance passenger amenities, 61 lifts and 43 escalators have been installed, and wi-fi has been provided at 335 stations. The state currently operates 10 Vande Bharats, covering 12 districts and 18 unique stoppages across Karnataka,” he said.
Tumakuru station will be redeveloped at a cost of Rs 88 crore, with the tender to be finalised on March 31. Yesvantpur and Bangalore Cantonment stations too are undergoing redevelopment for Rs 367 crore and Rs 485 crore.
Kerala has been allocated Rs 3,042 crore in the budget, Tamil Nadu Rs 6,626 crore and Goa (Konkan Railway) Rs 482 crore. “The allocation for all these states is more than that done during the previous UPA regime,” he stressed.