Investment to the tune of Rs 14 lakh crore would be required to transform Railways into "world-class standards" and meet other targets for the coming decade, the Railway Vision Document 2020 tabled on Friday said.
While 64 per cent of the amount could be mobilised through internal generation and extra budgetary resources, the rest "has to be supported by the government through an Accelerated Rail Development Fund (ARDF)", it said.
The document, tabled by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee along with the White Paper reflecting the financial status of Railways, stressed the need to keep aside Rs 1 lakh crore for the ARDF to clear pending backlog of socially desirable projects "once for all by an outright grant."
Enumerating its other goals to be achieved by 2020, the document said Railways would strive to expand its route network by 2500 km per annum to complete 25,000 km by that time.
This would also include completion of pending new line projects of 11,985 kms, it said. Segregation of passenger and freight services into "separate double corridor" and raising speed of passenger trains from 130 kmph to 160-200 kmph and that of freight trains from 60-70 kmph to 100 kmph would be its other goals.
