PM plugs ring railway’ that Lucknow can’t find

“What the Railways are doing is simple electrification of the Lucknow-Malhaur and Lucknow-Aishbagh-Malhaur sections at a cost of Rs 25 crore. If they want to run EMUs (Electric Multiple Units) to cater to the local population for intra-city travel, they will have to get separate sanction for it. As of now, they have the sanction only for electrification and not for a circular railway like Delhi, Kolkata or Mumbai,” a senior railway official disclosed.

In fact, a study report by RITES has said that a circular railway in Lucknow is not viable financially. According to the report, economic benefits might accrue to Lucknow or the state but there would be no Financial Internal Rate of Return (FIRR) for the Railways.

“Moreover, for any urban transport system, the Railways are not supposed to invest the entire amount. The state must contribute. For example, in Kolkata, one-third of the amount was contributed by the state government and half in Chennai and Mumbai. Moreover, the Railways cannot expect any financial returns. That’s the reason why RITES did not find it feasible,” the official explained.

To run EMUs — which will make it a circular railway — besides the sanction, the Railways would need additional infrastructure, including a shed, a workshop, separate stations and higher platforms. “The amount needed could be over Rs 30 crore, depending on the kind of services the Railways would want to run,” said sources.

The stretches which are being electrified now are used only by goods trains. “At the most, a rare passenger train might pass through. Even if some DMUs (Diesel Multiple Units) were running on the section, it could still be considered a circular railway of sorts. In the present situation, it does not seem likely that the project will benefit the people of Lucknow for quite some time to come,” the sources said.