Title - Railway projects in state on PMO radar

PATNA: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) recently reviewed the progress of pending railway projects, including the ones proposed in Bihar, at a meeting with railway minister Mukul Roy and Railway Board officials. The meeting is being seen as a step towards turning around the cash-strapped railways.

According to Railway Board sources, 340 and odd railway projects, including laying of new rail lines, have been pending across the country. A sum of Rs 1.25 lakh crore is needed to execute them.

The PMO evinced keen interest in, among other projects, the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) and the locomotive factories to be set up at Madhepura and Marhaura in Bihar. The two locomotive factories, to come up under public-private partnership (PPP) mode, figured prominently at the meeting though the two projects have been languishing since 2007. "We have now decided to complete them on priority basis. The pre-qualification for these two locomotive units has already been prepared by the railways," a Board official said.

The sources said the railways intends to set up an electric locomotive factory at Madhepura at a cost of Rs 1284 crore and a diesel locomotive factory at Marhaura in Saran district at a cost of Rs 2025 crore. The production at these factories will be of big help to the railways which will need more diesel and electric locomotives by 2020 after completion of the DFC routes on both eastern and western ends.

The meeting also discussed an ambitious station development project. To start with, the railways intends to execute the station development plan at four or five stations under the PPP mode. "We will also ensure that the facilities under 'Adarsh' station scheme are provided at each station falling under the East Central Railway in Bihar," the Board official said.