India has maximum electrification for expansion of tracks: Railways

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) India is the country with maximum electrification for expansion of tracks, Mukul Saran Mathur, Additional Member, Commercial, Ministry of Railways, said in his inaugural address at the ASSOCHAM National Conference held on Friday in New Delhi.

Eminent experts, stakeholders and senior government officials from the Railway ministry deliberated upon a range of issues and transformative technical solutions for ‘Modernisation of Railway for Viksit Bharat’.

Mathur, while focusing on the achievements of the railways, said the rail network has been increased to 68,000 km currently and more capacity must be created immediately because two crore people travel every day by train in the country.

He added that more than 5,000 special trains have recently been operated to transport migrants. He also mentioned an example for Vande Bharat trains, a major “flagship product” in India.

According to Mathur, Rs 85,000-crore plan was provided for railways expansion in 2023-24.

He said the railways’ refund process for tickets has become efficient as it has been reduced by one-two business days.

Deepak Sharma, Senior Member ASSOCHAM and CEO, River Engineering Pvt Ltd, highlighted the modernisation of railways as a key component in India’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India).

Sharma said the initiative aims to transform the Indian Railways into a world class network that supports economic growth, enhances connectivity, and improves the quality of life for millions of people.

Sanjay Bajpai, Co-chairman, the National Council on Logistics and Warehousing, ASSOCHAM and Executive Director, the Container Corporation of India Ltd talked about how AI and machine learning are useful in terminals for 100 per cent cargo visibility.

We aim to have the last mile connectivity as we are working on the Gati Shakti plan, he added.

Animesh Gupta, a scientist at Goldratt Research Labs USA, discussed the gaps in railways related to technology and freight.

“We need to reach 40 per cent freight by rail to meet the demands. There’s a need to reduce the environmental footprint of railway operations. The railway sector needs to ensure that digital solutions are secure and protected from cyber threats,” Gupta said.

Concentrating on transportation dependability, president of ACTO Manish Puri said that in order to satisfy capacity and demand, infrastructure and logistical output are the main areas of concern due to the increase in trade activity. In order to realise the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat,’ contemporary railway transition is essential since it advances the country’s economy, society, and technology.

Focusing on the safety of passengers, Moonish Ghuge, president of ABB India Ltd, said a large number of people travel by train every day and the importance of high-speed rail in cutting travel times and increasing economic activity is crucial.

“To prevent mishaps, modern safety measures like digital signalling and train control surveillance are useful,” Ghuge said.

During the day-long discussions in four different sessions, several industry players were of the view that the government has the intent to modernise and adopt transformative tech solutions for the railways, however, it needs to bring transparency in the system along with accountability and reliability in its delivery mechanism.