Rail budget should reflect seriousness for high speed trains: Narendra Modi

Gandhinagar, 11 February 2013

While delivering keynote address at the second High Speed Rail seminar organized in Gandhinagar by Japan, Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi today said seriousness on implementation of high speed rail (HSR) should reflect in the railway budget and provisions for the same should be there to provide an impetus to the ambitious project.

In a seminar organized by the Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan, in association with Ministry of Railways, Government of Gujarat and CII, Shri Modi said, “In the forthcoming budget of Centre, I expect that some seriousness should reflect on this (HSR)… some provision should be there for HSR in the budget and then things would start connecting. If the GoI takes an initiative, Gujarat government shall never be behind. The state will not shy from making its contribution to this prestigious project and shall provide all sort of financial and logistics support to it”

He said out of the HSR corridors identified in India, Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune was the most economically viable one and in the backdrop of Gujarat’s key role in Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), it would be prudent to speed up its implementation.

“Amongst the six high speed corridors identified in country, Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune seemed to be most economically viable one. Since 1980, HSR has remained confined to thought level only, now it should speed up. We all know that Western Railway (WR) is the most revenue earning region for Indian Railways, and within WR the maximum income comes from Ahmedabad,” Modi said.

“It signifies that Gujarat has been contributing to railways right from beginning and indirectly to Government of India through the railways,” Modi said, adding that HSR corridor would be remunerative in the sector.

Japan is among the few countries vying for HSR corridors project, which is part of Indian Railways Vision 2020. Indian Railways had set up a High Speed Rail Corporation of India in July 2012 for the implementation of HSR in India.

The pre-feasibility studies have been done for HSR corridors, Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad (650 km), Delhi-Agra-Varanasi -Lucknow-Patna (990 km), Howrah-Haldia (135 km), Hyderabad -Bhilwada-Chennai (664 km).

“Around 15 countries in the world have done major work on HSR and each one of them has evolved a system, technology and financial models in its own was… So after studying each one of them we can learn a lot and eventually develop our own model, which can be sustainable,” Modi said.

“India is one country which enjoys good relationship with Japan. In the last three Vibrant Gujarat Summits, Japan has been an active participant as partner country with Gujarat,” he said.

According to Indian Railways (IR), there are four to five countries which are thinking on implementing HSR now. “The developing countries are still struggling to make a financially viable model to implement HSR. On the financial side the issue is cost of Rs 125-150 crore per km for HSR,” IR Executive Director PPP (Traffic) M S Mathur said.

“World over there have been very few private investments in HSR. It can only be made possible either with central or state government funding,” he said.

Official press release

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today stressed on the need for political will and dare to go ahead to implement six High Speed Rail (HSR) corridor in India, including Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune.

Inaugurating ‘High Speed Rail Seminar in India’ jointly organized by Governments of India and Japan, Ministry of Railways and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, he said there is need to come out of debate and dilemma and time for the Centre to provide adequate allocation in the coming budget for the same, befitting the need for fast transportation through surface-water-air routes in the 21st Century.

Mr. Modi said that Japan started HSR about 50 years back, while China started it five years back and already laid 9,300-km route, In India, debate is on since 1980 but taking its rounds amidst viewpoints and counterpoints and dilemma. It is like feticide at the embryo stage itself.

He said that about 15-20 countries have already developed HSR based on different technologies. The government can and should study speed, safety, economic viability and other aspects of implementing HSR in India. He assured fullest co-operation from Gujarat Government to fulfill the dream.

He said that Gujarat has earned Japan’s confidence by preparing ground for several Indo-Japanese fast forward projects like Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and Dedicated Freight Corridor (DMIC-DFC). Looking to Gujarat’s rapid development, as reflected in Ahmedabad Railway Division earning maximum revenue for the West Zone, Gujarat could develop Ahmedabad-Mumbai HSR through PPP model. Building railways is in the DNA of people of Gujarat, he said.

Mr. Modi said that Gujarat Government has decided to set up Multi-Modal Affordable Transport Authority (MATA) to develop Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS), BRTS-Janmarg, alongside frame strategy to develop Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad Metrorail and Ahmedabad-Dholera SIR HSR.

He hinted developing an inland waterway transport system through gravity on the proposed canal from Damanganga up to Sabarmati. There is a plan to run road-cum-rail transport over the canal, besides Ro-Ro daily ferry service between Dahej and Ghogha.

Opening remarks were made by Japan’s Senior Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Hiroshi Kajiyama, Council for Global Promotion of Railways Vice-Chairman Tadaharu Ohashi and Institute of Transport Project Studies (ITPS) Vice-Chairman Makato Washizu.

Keynote remarks were made by Ministry of Railways Executive Director PPP (Traffic) M.S. Mathur and CII Railway Equipment Division Past Chairman Rajeev Jyoti.

The seminar was attended by Gujarat Government’s senior Secretaries for Roads & Buildings, Industries, Urban Development and Urban Infrastructure.