Modi calls to speed up re-development of railway stations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently reviewed the progress in key infrastructure sectors of railways and roads.

In the course of the review of the Railways, it was noted that 1,780-km of lines have been commissioned, and 1,730-km electrified during 2015-16, which represent the best performance on these metrics in railway history, an official release said.

Modi stressed the need to speed up redevelopment of stations, and urged the Railways to substantially raise its level of ambition in this regard. He emphasised the need for the Railways to upgrade and diversify the uses of its infrastructure. He reiterated that rail infrastructure in rural areas could be used for activities, such as skill development, and this could also result in an increase in non-fare revenue.

In the roads sector, the Prime Minister was informed that over 6,000 km of highways were completed in 2015-16, while contracts for another 10,098 km were awarded in the same period, stated the release.

The Prime Minister also stressed the need to study various models of road development and adopt the best practices so that more private investment can be brought into highway construction. He also stressed the need to decongest critical stretches, and adopt latest technologies for toll collection.

HBL