(a) whether the Government has any proposal to develop Indian Railways to global standards;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has taken any steps in this regard; and
(d) if so, the details thereof along with the time-frame fixed in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI MANOJ SINHA)
(a) to (d) : Modernization and technology upgradation on Indian Railways is an ongoing process. Major initiatives include implementation of Western and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridors, mechanized maintenance of assets, automatic signalling and train protection system, electrification, setting up manufacturing facilities for high horse power diesel and electric locomotives, modernization of railway stations and terminals, passenger ticketing & information systems, enhancement of train capacity and higher capacity wagons.
Other steps include opening up the Railways for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in November, 2014 and Participative Policy for rail connectivity and capacity augmentation in December 2012 for investment in rail infrastructure.
Being a continuous process, no specific time-frame can be fixed for its completion.
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