Railway safety fund likely to get first installment in Budget 2017

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Railway safety fund likely to get first installment in Budget 2017 The Narendra Modi-led government has taken credit for lesser rail accidents and lower casualties. Reportedly, Railway Minster Suresh Prabhu might paper over the transporter's safety record. However, his officers are surprised that three major accidents happened in a span of two months, which have claimed close to 190 lives, compared to 309 in 2015-16.
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Taking all this in consideration, the pressure is now on the proposed Rs 1 lakh crore dedicated fund for safety, which was announced over a year ago and conceived almost five years ago.

Regardless of the fact that the railways is looking forward to show safety-related expenses have not been compromised but officials have admitted that it is likely that the first allocation - of Rs 20,000 crore - for the dedicated fund comes in the budget.

In the last five years, the government is looking forward to chip in with Rs 1 lakh crore and raise more money from states and the Central Road Fund which is used to build railway overbridges and out of that Rs 1.27 lakh crore, which is less than 15% of the plan, is to go towards safety.

Railways are also accused of being slow and unsafe. Some of the machinery and bridges dates back to the British era.

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Also a plan to away with guards in goods trains that run on the eastern and western freight corridors through what is called End of Train Telemetry.

"Funds have been a problem but the Railway Research Designs and Standards Organisation has also slowed down adoption of new technology," an official told ET.