"This facility will be sufficient for Jaipur's development over next 20 years": Ashwini Vaishnaw on Khatipura Mega Terminal
Jaipur, June 21
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that significant efforts have been undertaken to expand railway capacity in Jaipur in line with the city's rapid growth.
He highlighted the development of a mega terminal at Khatipura equipped to maintain around 450 trains every month.
He also inspected Mega Coaching Terminal and Railway development works in Jaipur.
Speaking to the reporters in Jaipur, Railway Minister said, "Jaipur is a rapidly growing city. Given the pace of development, a lot of work has been done to increase the railway's capacity. There are three main areas for capacity expansion: Increasing the number of platforms at stations, enhancing train maintenance facilities, and building mega terminals around the city. Keeping Jaipur's needs in mind, a mega terminal has been built in Khatipura. Arrangements have been made to maintain approximately 450 trains every month."
He said the Khatipura facility, fitted with modern systems to service trains such as Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat, would meet Jaipur's railway infrastructure needs for the next 20 years and strengthen connectivity to destinations including Delhi, Jodhpur and Bikaner.
"Modern systems have been installed so that today's modern trains, Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, can also be maintained here... This facility will be sufficient for Jaipur's development over the next 20 years. In the future, trains running from this facility will be able to go to Delhi, Jodhpur and Bikaner, and another facility will be built for Sawai Madhopur, located in Sanganer," he said.
Further, Vaishnaw said Rajasthan is witnessing unprecedented railway infrastructure development, with the Centre allocating Rs 10,000 crore for ongoing rail projects in the state.
"Today I also went to Bikaner and flagged off a train from there to Ahmedabad... The Prime Minister has allocated a budget of Rs 10,000 crores for current work in Rajasthan. During Congress rule, the budget was Rs 682 crores for such a large state, and that too in a border area... There will be a huge change in the next 5 years and we will run over 200 trains from Rajasthan, benefiting everyone... The problem of waiting lists will almost disappear," he further added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
20 years is a very long time to claim sufficiency. Jaipur's population is growing at nearly 5% annually; by 2045 we'll need more than just one mega terminal. Why not build multiple smaller terminals integrated with the Metro? The Rs 10,000 crore is welcome, but let's not overpromise.
Meanwhile, we still have potholes in the roads leading to the station... 😅 But seriously, the Sanganer terminal for Sawai Madhopur connection is a smart move. As someone who travels Jaipur-Jodhpur often, the waiting list problem is real. If this solves that, kudos to the ministry!
The budget comparison with Congress rule is valid - Rs 682 crore vs Rs 10,000 crore is a massive jump. But I'd like to see similar increases in local road connectivity and last-mile transport to these new terminals. What's the use if we can't reach the station easily from our neighborhoods?
"200 trains from Rajasthan" - matlab bada change aa raha hai! 👍 I still remember waiting for hours just to get a general ticket to Delhi during Diwali. If the waiting list problem truly disappears, that would be the biggest achievement for common people. Let's hope execution matches this vision.
One point I'd raise: the Khatipura terminal is mostly on the western side of Jaipur. What about people living in the eastern suburbs (Pratap Nagar, Vidyadhar Nagar)? We need equitable distribution of railway infrastructure, not just one mega project that mainly benefits one part of the city.