Indian Railways ready with 100-day post-election plan, to launch super app: Officials

Indian Railways is ready with a 100-day post-election plan for 2024. It includes a focus on various passenger-friendly measures, like a 24-hour ticket refund scheme, a comprehensive super app for various railway facilities, three economic corridors, and sleeper Vande Bharat trains., government officials told ANI.

The new ticket refund scheme will ensure refunds within 24 hours and will replace the current three-day to one-week refund process.

Railways will launch a comprehensive ''super app''; it will have all railway-related facilities, from booking and cancelling tickets to live tracking of trains and bookings for foods in trains.

The 100-day agenda of the new government for railways also includes an insurance scheme for all rail passengers called "PM Rail Yatri Bima Yojana".

The modernisation plan for railways includes an investment of Rs 10 to 12 lakh crore over the next five years to transform railways with modern, world-class facilities.

Vande Bharat trains will be introduced across India in three categories: Vande Metro on routes of less than 100 kms, Vande Chair Car on 100 to 550 km routes, and Vande Sleeper for routes of over 550 kms.

Currently, Vande Bharat trains are running on nearly 50 routes across India.

The Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train will be operationalised by April 2029, and the feasibility study will be done for three more bullet train projects in North, South, and East India.

The Railways have planned for three economic corridors spanning over 40,000 km, with an investment of over Rs 10 lakh crore.

Over 1,300 railway stations will be modernised with private participation. The transformed stations will have world-class amenities like shopping malls and airport-like waiting lounges.

Metro networks will be expanded into more urban cities. Currently, Metro is working or has initiated work in 20 urban cities.

More high-frequency trains like the RAPID rail are planned, and the one between Delhi and Meerut is partially launched.

In a meeting chaired by the cabinet secretary held on Friday, different ministries and departments of the government presented their 100-day agenda after the formation of the new government.