As Goods Traffic Shifts To Freight Corridors, Railways To Run ‘On Demand’ Passenger Trains On Busy Routes By 2024

Indian Railways will be able to run ‘on demand’ passenger trains on Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes by 2024 as most of the freight traffic on these corridors will shift to two dedicated freight corridors that are likely to become operational in the next two years, reports Times of India.

According to the report, Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav on Tuesday (17 September) said that despite huge demand, there is hardly any scope for introducing more trains on these two networks.

He added that traffic reduction in Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes after 2021 will help fast-track infrastructure improvement, which can lead to trains running at 160 kmph.

“Why should people travel in unreserved coaches in inhuman condition? To change status quo, we are working on plans where we can increase the number of trains so that passengers don’t suffer,” he said.

In addition, three more greenfield DFCs - Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai- Howrah and Kharagpur-Vijaywada - will be laid in the next decade, he said. The 5,800 km-long freight corridors will be laid with an investment of Rs 2.7 lakh crore.