Railway fixes Rs. 1.19 lakh-cr for network upgrade

In its quest to make travelling by rail completely enjoyable, comfortable and accident free affairs,the department of Indian Railways has targeted a staggering investment worth Rs. 1,19,183-cr for achieving its zero accident mission and that the ministry has sought non-lapsable fund from finance ministry to strengthen safety measures of the rail network in a comprehensive way, said official sources, claiming that on this score it is submitting a proposal to the Finance Ministry to create Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh, a non-lapsable fund to execute the mega rail project. After the proposal gets the Finance Ministry's nod, the railway will go to the Cabinet for final approval. A committee, constituted for putting together a consolidated proposal for creation of RRSK whereby the works involve track renewal and upgradation, bridge rehabilitation, elimination of level-crossings, construction of road over bridges, road under bridges, replacement and improvement of signaling system, improvement and upgradation of rolling stock, replacement of electrical assets and human resource development. The target is to achieve zero-accident level and for which, the railway is working on integration of system to ensure safe travel. In this regard, Indian Railway is already working on integration of various systems, including track maintenance and signaling, and using Information Technology to prevent rail accidents across the country.