Rajasthan trains remain on paper

The next budget of the railways is just a month away. But announcements made in the budget last year, including new trains for Rajasthan, have not been implemented. Only three of the 14 trains announced last year are running.

With the model code of conduct in force due to the ongoing Assembly elections in five states, none of the announcements are likely to converted into action before the next budget. This is because most of the trains are long-distance ones running through different states. Ironically, the running schedules for these trains were announced in June last year. The three trains that started running last year are Jodhpur-Delhi Super Fast, Bikaner-Delhi Super Fast and Guwahati-Jaipur Kavi Guru Express.

The trains that were promised but never saw the light of the day include the much-hyped Delhi-Jaipur Double Decker, Bandra-Jammu Tawi Vivek Express, Bhagalpur-Ajmer Super Fast and Nizamuddin-Ajmer Duranto, among others. The extension plans of two of five existing trains also remain on paper.

In his recent visit to Rajasthan, the railway minister  had asked why the trains announced his predecessor Mamata Banerjee were not pressed into service.

The promised trains will not start running until Assembly polls are over in five states, as the trains will pass through some of these states, railway sources said.