As Steel Min delays supply, govt push to transform Railways goes off track

Railway Ministry wants Sail to make higher grade track for its 'Mission 25 Tonne' initiative which the steel major has been delaying

In the 2016-17 Railway Budget, the Narendra Modi government had lined up seven “missions” to transform the Indian Railways for the next decade. One key initiative was “Mission 25 Tonne”. This was a plan to increase the Railways’ revenue by augmenting carrying capacity; 70 per cent of the freight traffic would be transported on wagons with axle loads of 25 tonnes, against the current load of 22.9 tonnes.
 
This target has, however, become the source of a bitter battle between two ministries — the railways and steel — and provoked serious arguments over the “Make in India” programme. The