Railways gets big push! More Tejas-type trains between key stations to connect iconic destinations

New Delhi, Feb 01: Indian Railways passengers cheer! Presenting the Budget 2020 in Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced big-ticket projects for Indian Railways.

Sitharaman said that in the next few years as many as 150 private trains will be running on the Indian Railways network via the PPP model and that the RFQ invite has already been issued. She also said that in the coming years more Tejas Express-style trains will be introduced on key tourist routes.

''Setting up large solar power capacity alongside tracks, station re-development projects under PPP, more Tejas type trains, Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train to be pursued. The govt will replace conventional electric meters with smart meters in the next three years. Consumers can choose supplier and rate,'' Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The FM in her Railway Budget 2020 speech announced that more Tejas Express-style trains will be put into service by Indian Railways on key tourism routes.

Tejas Express is a more premium version of the Shatabdi-style AC Chair Car trains.