Electrification of Delhi-Jaipur rail link in 2018

Jaipur: The rail route connecting New Delhi to Jaipur will be electrified by December next year, Railway Board chairperson Ashwani Lohani said on Saturday.

At a press conference held in the Pink City, he said that electrification of rail routes was progressing at a fast pace and it would improve average speed of trains.

Mr Lohani said that  4,000 km of rail track will be electrified in the current financial year, while  another 7,500 km track will be electrified in the next fiscal.

Safety was of utmost priority for the railways. Refurbishment and maintenance of rail tracks were being done on priority basis, Mr Lohani said. Though the works have affected the punctuality of trains, it would have far-reaching effects, the Railway Board chief added.

Electrification of New Delhi-Jaipur rail route will get completed by December 2018, Lohani said.

The railways was currently refurbishing nearly 4,000-km track every month, which was earlier limited to 200 km, the Railway Board chairperson said.

As many as 22 stations would be developed into world-class facilities and 963 stations will be equipped with closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs), which would be installed by the end of next year. All rail services would have bio-toilets, he said.

North-Western Railways (NWR) chief spokesperson Tarun Jain said that Mr Lohani, who was on a two-day tour in the railway region launched, an SMS-based residential area maintenance system, a holiday home and rest house booking app and a mobile application for receiving passenger feedback.

Mr Lohani will visit Jodhpur tomorrow, Mr Jain said.