Lok Sabha Question No. 2961 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Metre Gauge into Broad Gauge Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, RAHUL KASWAN, K. MARAGATHAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2961 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2017

## METRE GAUGE INTO BROAD GAUGE LINE

2961.  SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE: SHRI RAHUL KASWAN: SHRIMATI K. MARAGATHAM:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railways has decided to convert the entire metre gauge tracks into broad gauge in the country including Rajasthan and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Railways has fixed any time frame to complete the same and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the broad gauge conversion projects in many parts of the  country  is  moving  at  very  slow  speed  which  will  lead  to escalation of cost further; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Railways to expedite the work on the said gauge conversion projects?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

ANSWER (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) to (d):   A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  2961  BY  SHRI  RAHUL  SHEWALE,  SHRI  RAHUL  KASWAN AND  SHRIMATI  K.  MARAGATHAM  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON 02.08.2017 REGARDING METRE GAUGE INTO BROAD GAUGE LINE

(a):      All  unsanctioned  Meter  Gauge  lines  in  working  condition  of  Indian Railways  including  those  falling  fully/partly  in  the  State  of  Rajasthan (excluding  Heritage  lines)  have  been  included  in  the  Budget  2017-18  for conversion to Broad Gauge line.   About 830 km of such lines have been sanctioned.

(b) to (d):  Completion of a project depends upon several factors including availability of funds, complete handing over of encumbrance free land by the  State  Government,  forestry  clearances,  shifting  of  utilities,  Road over/under  bridges,  canal  &  electrical  crossings  etc.  Moreover,  funds  to each project are allocated every year depending on the total budget outlay, progress  made  in  each  project  &  relative priority. So  targets for completion of projects are set every year and therefore it is not possible to quantify cost/time overrun in real terms. Since most of these factors are beyond the control of Ministry of Railways, no time-frame can be fixed for completion of the projects.

Indian Railways have taken following steps to increase pace of execution of projects:-

Making higher fund allotment for projects:  The capital expenditure for Railways  has  been  increased  from ` 58,718  Crore  in  2014-15  to  around ` 93,795 Crore in 2015-16 to ` 1,11,661 Crore in 2016-17 and a plan size of ` 1,31,000 Crore has been kept for 2017-18.

Delegation of Powers to the field officers for tenders and estimates: The Zonal Railways have been delegated full powers with respect to works contracts.    Full  powers  have  been  given  to  General  Managers  of  Zonal Railways with respect to sanction of estimates.  This has also resulted in cutting down time for sanction of estimate and tenders.

Institutional  financing:    By  tying  up  loan  with  M/s  Life  Insurance Corporation  of  India  Limited  for ` 1.5  Lakh  Crore  for  assured  funding  of viable  projects  has  increased  Railways'  capacity  for  committed  fund provision for essential projects.

Coordination  with  State/Central  Ministries:    To  expedite  the  project execution  and  better  coordination  with  State/Central  Ministries,  regular coordination  meetings  are  being  held  with  Ministries/Departments/State Government Authorities.  A senior Railway Officer has been nominated as a Nodal Officer to deal with each State Government.

These initiatives have resulted into a remarkable increase in commissioning of New  Lines, Gauge  Conversions and Doublings. A progress of 7.75 Km per day of network expansion was achieved in 201516 compared to an average of 4.1 Km per day being achieved in previous 10  years  from  2004  to  2014.    During  2016-17,  2855  Km  track  has  been commissioned by introducing passenger services.

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