Amit Shah flags off India’s first LNG-powered train, inaugurates Rs 1,472 crore railway projects in Ahmedabad
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated development projects worth ₹1,472 crore and flagged off the country’s first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad,...
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated development projects worth ₹1,472 crore and flagged off the country’s first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
HM Shah also inaugurated a WAG-12 Maintenance Shed, constructed at a cost of ₹700 crore for maintenance of railway locomotive engines. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other dignitaries were present at the programme.
HM Shah said the LNG-powered train would contribute to environmental protection and described the various railway projects as significant for environmental sustainability, passenger amenities and railway safety.
He said the Sabarmati railway area had undergone substantial transformation in passenger amenities, safety and connectivity. Recalling Sabarmati’s association with Mahatma Gandhi’s experiments with Satyagraha, simple living, rural development and khadi, HM Shah said the journey of translating these ideas into action had begun from Sabarmati.
₹1,472 crore projects and Kavach safety system
The projects inaugurated and launched during the programme include the WAG-12 Maintenance Shed, installation of the Kavach train protection system on the Sabarmati–Kalol–Sabarmati section and the commencement of Kavach-related work on the Ahmedabad–Palanpur and Ahmedabad–Samakhiali sections.
The Sabarmati–Kalol–Sabarmati Kavach project has been undertaken at a cost of ₹48 crore, according to the government.
Work has also commenced on the doubling of the Sabarmati–Sarkhej railway line.
HM Shah highlighted the capabilities of the WAG-12 locomotive, saying its 12,000-horsepower twin-section capacity enables it to haul freight equivalent to nearly 600 trucks. He said that while two locomotives were earlier required for such operations, a single WAG-12 can now undertake the task.
Double-stack trains to boost freight capacity
The Home Minister also highlighted the successful trial of the country’s first long-haul double-stack container train from Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai to Vadodara.
He said India has a limited rail network available for freight movement and that successful deployment of double-stack freight trains could substantially increase freight-carrying capacity.
HM Shah said an 11,000-km-long corridor is being converted into a four-lane network, which he said would facilitate movement towards the Delhi–Howrah and Delhi–Guwahati routes.
He attributed the introduction of Dedicated Freight Corridors, Rapid Rail systems and upgraded railway stations to the modernisation of Indian Railways after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014.
He also referred to the recent commissioning of a hydrogen-powered train, saying it placed India among the four countries possessing the technology.
Diesel consumption falls as electrification expands
HM Shah highlighted the reduction in railway diesel consumption, saying it declined from 293 crore litres in 2015–16 to 108 crore litres in 2024–25.
He said railway electrification had expanded significantly, from about 30 per cent before 2014 to 99.6 per cent currently, with the remaining 0.4 per cent expected to be completed soon.
HM Shah said railway electrification increased from 75 kilometres in 2010–11 to 7,188 kilometres in 2023–24.
He also compared India’s electrification level with that of several other countries, saying it stood at 92 per cent in China, 68 per cent in Spain, 60 per cent in France and 49 per cent in the United Kingdom. He said Sweden is among the countries to have achieved complete railway electrification, though its rail network is much smaller than India’s.
HM Shah said railway safety expenditure had increased by 67 per cent, while locomotive production capacity had risen by 66 per cent during the period referred to in his address.
He also highlighted the government’s Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, saying these had strengthened India’s domestic capability to manufacture railway equipment, including locomotives.
Gujarat’s railway allocation rises
HM Shah compared Gujarat’s railway allocation during different periods, saying the state’s rail budget between 2009 and 2014 was ₹589 crore, while the allocation for 2026–27 is ₹17,366 crore.
He said the figures reflected the change in the pace of railway development and urged opposition party leaders to discuss development issues using facts and figures.
HM Shah also questioned the opposition about what it had done during its tenure. He said that apart from scams, scandals and corruption amounting to ₹12 lakh crore over 10 years, the opposition party had done nothing. He said that in 12 years, not even the slightest allegation of corruption has been levelled against PM Modi.
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