Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said that with the Railways forming a joint venture (JV) company with the Maharashtra government, new rail projects will be implemented in various parts of the state which will help generate employment.
"Through this joint venture company, various rail projects will be implemented in Western Maharashtra, Vidharba, Marathwada and Konkan. These projects will help the state accelerate their growth," Prabhu said after inaugurating a foot over-bridge at the Pune Railway station here.
"There will be a lot of chance of employment generation in various parts of the state," the Minister added.
Speaking about Pune, he said his ministry, along with the Union Urban Development Ministry, is working on an integrated transport plan for bettering transportation in the city.
"We have decided to redevelop Shivajinagar railway station and Indian Railway Station Development Corporation has given a plan to turn the station into a world-class facility," he said.
He also said, "We have a separate plan for Mumbai under which two elevated railway corridors will be created on the Western Railway and the Central Railway.
The bullet train project implementation period is slated
to be six years -- between 2017 and 2023 -- for the 508 km long route. The operating speed will be 320 kmph while the maximum speed will be 350 kmph.
Prabhu informed the government has also proposed an integrated development model for the PSU.
"The redevelopment of railway stations will be carried out in an integrated manner to house trains, buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis.
"We signed an agreement with Gujarat government and Surat Municipal Corporation two weeks ago for the redevelopment of Surat station. Work on two more stations will start soon in and around Delhi," Prabhu added.
