New Delhi: Stressing that safety is the first priority, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday defended that unprecedented delay of trains is the result of massive work undertaken for maintenance of tracks.
While highlighting the achievements of Railways Ministry in the last four years, Goyal said, "Safety of passengers is supreme for us. In the last four years the Indian Railways have taken up a massive exercise of maintaining its assets."
"Maintenance of the tracks, which was due for decades, is causing train delays. But the passengers of the country are well aware why the trains are getting delayed and they know that Indian Railways is getting future ready," Goyal said while replying to a question on the trains getting delayed.
Hitting out at the ousted UPA government, the Rail Minister said, "Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced rail safety fund in 2003-04. But that was not considered for 10 years due to which we got unsafe railways as asset."
He further said, "The trains in the last two decades have doubled while the maintenance of the tracks was delayed. In 2017-18 about 5,000 km of tracks were renewed."
Giving details about the infrastructural development, the minister said, "The Railways under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has registered a quantum jump in capital expenditure as the average annual capital expenditure in last 4 years being more than double of average during 2009-14." "Railways is connecting India at a faster pace with a 59 per cent increase in the average pace of commissioning new lines from 4.1 km (2009-14) to 6.53 km per day (2014-18)," the minister said.
Goyal, who also addressed the regional media in 12 cities simultaneously through video-conferencing, also said that concerns over the government's ambitious bullet train project would be soon resolved and that the project was on track.
"The bullet train project is on track. In this country there are always issues linked to any developmental project and new ideas. But we have to find solutions and move forward," Goyal said.
Present on the occasion, Railways Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani said, "The national transporter is improving passenger services, including a complete makeover of stations by installing modern facilities such as escalators, lifts, free WiFi, etc. A total 68 stations are slated for improvement by March 2019."
In reply to a question as why developments didn't happen during UPA regime, the CRB said, "There was a dearth of fund. The Railways was not getting fund as per its requirement."
On the occasion, the minister also launched two mobile applications – 'Rail Madad' to help customers with complaints and 'Menu On Rails' through which passengers can see meals on offer on-board trains.