#Budget2022: 400 Vande Bharat trains to be introduced, says Sitharaman
What's the story
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced that 400 new Vande Bharat Express trains will be introduced in the next three years.
The announcement was made as part of her presentation of the Union Budget for 2022-2023 in the Lok Sabha.
The Budget Session of the Parliament had commenced on Monday with the President's speech.
Trains
Two Vande Bharat trains currently in operation
Vande Bharat is the name given to a class of semi-high speed, 16-coach trains which do not require an engine to haul them.
The train was designed and developed at the state-owned Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Two such trains have been manufactured so far—one of them runs between Delhi and Varanasi and the other between Delhi and Katra.
Information
44 trains to be ready by I-Day, 2023
In fact, the Indian Railways is in the process of making an installment of 44 Vande Bharat trains, in order to have such trains running on at least 75 routes across the country by August 15, 2023.
Details
Other key announcements by Sitharaman
The Railways will also develop new products and services for small farmers as well as small and medium enterprises, according to Sitharaman.
It would further lead the integration of postal and railway networks with an aim to provide seamless movement.
Besides, the "One Station One Product" initiative will be the popularized to support local businesses and supply chain.
Details
2,000km rail network to be brought under KAWACH
In her address, Sitharaman further announced that 100 PM Gati Shakti Cargo terminals will be developed during the next three years.
There will be an implementation of innovative ways for building metro systems, she added.
She told the Parliament that 2,000 kilometers of rail network would be brought under the indigenous technology KAWACH for safety and capacity augmentation.
Budget
Sitharaman's fourth Budget presentation
Tuesday marked the fourth Union Budget presentation by Sitharaman.
A made-in-India tablet was used instead of the traditional Bahi Khata for the second straight year.
"This budget seeks to lay the foundation and a blueprint to steer the economy over 'Amrit Kaal' of the next 25 years from India at 75 to India at 100," the FM said while presenting the Budget.