PANJIM: The government is willing to look at solutions to ensure a pollution-free environment by transporting coal through the railway network, Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu said adding that if the people were against the same, at the end it was always their wish that mattered.
Addressing the third edition of the conference on logistics organized by the CII, the minister said, “The Indian economy is now ripe for investment, the barriers have been removed and it was time to take growth to a new trajectory and logistics was the key.”
“It should now be considered as the new destination for investment resulting in several spinoff benefits. The Railways is now focusing on multi-nodal
transportation and a plan was being created to implement it. The 2030 plan is being prepared and it will be applicable till 2050. This plan will connect ports and even urban transportation. The government was open to the private sector using rolling stock which has already started,” he informed.
The minister highlighted the various reforms in the railway sector and the Railways’ progress in the last 3 years.
He mentioned the additional investment into Railways of Rs 1.31 lakh crore in the current year as compared to Rs 40 lakh crore in the previous years.
He also informed about a total investment of Rs 8.5 lakh crore over next 5 years.
He spoke on the two dedicated freight corridors implemented from Delhi to Kolkata and from Delhi to Mumbai, adding that three more are in the pipeline.
Prabhu spoke at length on the idea of conceiving a supportive PPP model to look into private freight terminus. The investment from the feeder terminal to the railway terminal could be focused on by the private sector while the investment into truck terminal would be done by Railways.
The minister informed about the proposed investment of developing 400 railway stations into logistics and tourism hubs. In addition, the government is focused on introducing diesel locomotive engines developed in partnership with GE and Alstom which would improve the speed and delivery of logistics.
He mentioned about the increased investment from international governments and private companies into logistics in general and Railways in particular.
Prabhu concluded by advocating the need to make Goa a multi modal logistics hub, stating that Goa has the potential to be the next investment destination in logistics.
