GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

RAJYA SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2753

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.12.2010

CONVERSION OF RAIL TRACK TO BROAD GAUGE

2753. SHRI NARENDRA KUMAR KASHYAP:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) the existing number of broad gauge, meter gauge and narrow gauge sections in the country, division-wise;

(b) whether Government proposes to cover the entire country with railway system, particularly Himachal Pradesh;

(d) whether Government also proposed to convert the meter and narrow gauge railway tracks; and

(e) if so, the time by when the entire country is likely to be covered with the broad gauge rail line?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI E. AHAMED)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the Sabha.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2753 BY SHRI NARENDRA KUMAR KASHYAP TO BE ANSWERED IN RAJYA SABHA ON 3.12.2010 REGARDING CONVERSION OF RAIL TRACK TO BROAD GAUGE.

(a) The existing number of gauge-wise and division-wise sections of Indian Railways are as under :

Name of Railway	Name of Division	Broad Gauge	Metre Gauge	Narrow Gauge	Total
Central	Mumbai	15	-	1	16
	Bhusaval	9	-	3	12
	Nagpur	14	-	1	15
	Pune	6	-	-	6
	Sholapur	6	-	1	7
Eastern	Sealdah	31	-	1	32
	Howrah	19	-	2	21
	Malda	15	-	-	15
	Asansol	17	-	-	17
East Central	Danapur	12	-	-	12
	Dhanbad	32	-	-	32
	Mughalsarai	5	-	-	5
	Samastipur	13	8	-	21
	Sonpur	12	-	-	12
East Coast	Khurda Road	8	-	-	8
	Sambalpur	4	-	-	4
	Waltair	8	-	-	8
Northern	Delhi	11	-	-	11
	Firozpur	19	-	1	20
	Lucknow	14	-	-	14
	Moradabad	13	-	-	13
	Ambala	7	-	1	8
North Central	Allahabad	14	-	-	14
	Agra	11	1	-	12
	Jhansi	13	-	3	16
North Eastern	Lucknow	7	5	-	12
	Varanasi	12	4	-	16
	Izzat Nagar	9	3	-	12
Northeast Frontier	Katihar	12	2	2	16
	Alipurduar	8	-	-	8
	Lumding	7	13	-	20
	Rangiya	6	4	-	10
	Tinsukia	13	-	-	13
North Western	Ajmer	4	3	-	7
	Bikaner	9	2	-	11
	Jaipur	5	2	-	7
	Jodhpur	11	-	-	11
Southern	Chennai	7	-	-	7
	Palakkad	8	2	-	10
	Salem	8	2	-	10
	Thiruvananthapuram	8	-	-	8
	Tiruchchirapalli	9	4	-	13
	Madurai	11	5	-	16
South Central	Secunderabad	18	-	-	18
	Vijayawada	17	-	-	17
	Guntakal	16	-	-	16
	Guntur	9	-	-	9
	Hyderabad	13	-	-	13
	Nanded	7	1	-	8
South Eastern	Chakradharpur	15	-	-	15
	Kharagpur	9	-	-	9
	Ranchi	6	-	-	6
	Adra	17	-	-	17
South East Central	Bilaspur	12	-	-	12
	Raipur	6	-	2	8
	Nagpur	9	-	4	13
South Western	Bangalore	10	-	1	11
	Mysore	7	1	-	8
	Hubli	9	-	-	9
Western	Mumbai	9	-	1	10
	Vadodra	11	-	17	28
	Ratlam	8	3	-	11
	Bhavnagar	11	9	-	20
	Ahmadabad	20	10	-	30
	Rajkot	13	-	-	13
West Central	Bhopal	8	-	-	8
	Jabalpur	4	-	-	4
	Kota	8	-	-	8

(b) & (c) The policy followed for taking up new line projects was enunciated by the National Transport Policy Committee 1980 which envisages, inter-alia, laying of lines for establishing new growth centres or giving access to remote areas. In pursuance of the aforesaid policy as many as three new line projects have been taken up in the State of Himachal Pradesh:-

(i) Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri (63 kilometres)

(ii) Chandigarh-Baddi (33 kilometres)

(iii) Nangal Dam-Talwara and Taking over siding of Mukerian-Talwara (84 kilometres)

(d) & (e) Under Project Unigauge, railways are taking up conversion of Narrow Gauge and Metre Gauge rail lines into Broad Gauge lines. During first three years of Eleventh Five Year Plan, 3628 kilometres of Metre Gauge/Narrow Gauge lines have been converted into Broad Gauge. No specific time for completion of Project Unigauge has been laid down. Targets are fixed every year depending upon the availability of adequate resources, operational exigencies etc.

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