PM's remarks at the commencement of expansion of Diesel Locomotive Works

Published By : Admin | December 25, 2014 | 17:22 IST
"PM: Indian Railways will not be privatized

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today declared categorically that the Indian Railways would not be privatized. He was addressing a gathering in Varanasi after the commencement of expansion of the Diesel Locomotive Works. He asserted that his aim was to ensure that the modernization and growth of railways is facilitated through private investment, and not through public funds which are the property of the poor, and should be used to fulfil their basic needs including health and education. He said private investment would be used to modernize Railways and make it service-oriented, so that it could become an engine of growth for the nation.

Shri Narendra Modi said 4 rail universities would be established to ensure proper and well-trained human resource for the Railways. He said the Railways should not be seen as just a means of transport, but should become the backbone of economic development. He exhorted Railway workers to ensure that the best service in India is provided by the Indian Railways.

The Prime Minister, who earlier flagged off the new high horsepower diesel locomotive, described this as an example of India`s indigenous capabilities, and an illustration of his vision of Make in India. He recalled former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri`s slogan of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" and said the slogan had inspired farmers to make India self-reliant in food production. He expressed hope that "Make in India" would inspire us to become self reliant in all our needs.

The Prime Minister also said the postal and railway networks of India could be leveraged to become drivers of rural development.

The Union Minister for Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhu, was present on the occasion.

Click here to read full text Speech

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ಶ್ರೀರಾಮ ಜನ್ಮಭೂಮಿ ಮಂದಿರದ ಧ್ವಜಾರೋಹಣ ಉತ್ಸವ ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿ ಪ್ರಧಾನಮಂತ್ರಿ ಅವರ ಭಾಷಣ

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ಶ್ರೀರಾಮ ಜನ್ಮಭೂಮಿ ಮಂದಿರದ ಧ್ವಜಾರೋಹಣ ಉತ್ಸವ ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿ ಪ್ರಧಾನಮಂತ್ರಿ ಅವರ ಭಾಷಣ
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Cabinet approves three new corridors as part of Delhi Metro’s Phase V (A) Project
December 24, 2025

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved three new corridors - 1. R.K Ashram Marg to Indraprastha (9.913 Kms), 2. Aerocity to IGD Airport T-1 (2.263 kms) 3. Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj (3.9 kms) as part of Delhi Metro’s Phase – V(A) project consisting of 16.076 kms which will further enhance connectivity within the national capital. Total project cost of Delhi Metro’s Phase – V(A) project is Rs.12014.91 crore, which will be sourced from Government of India, Government of Delhi, and international funding agencies.

The Central Vista corridor will provide connectivity to all the Kartavya Bhawans thereby providing door step connectivity to the office goers and visitors in this area. With this connectivity around 60,000 office goers and 2 lakh visitors will get benefitted on daily basis. These corridors will further reduce pollution and usage of fossil fuels enhancing ease of living.

Details:

The RK Ashram Marg – Indraprastha section will be an extension of the Botanical Garden-R.K. Ashram Marg corridor. It will provide Metro connectivity to the Central Vista area, which is currently under redevelopment. The Aerocity – IGD Airport Terminal 1 and Tughlakabad – Kalindi Kunj sections will be an extension of the Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor and will boost connectivity of the airport with the southern parts of the national capital in areas such as Tughlakabad, Saket, Kalindi Kunj etc. These extensions will comprise of 13 stations. Out of these 10 stations will be underground and 03 stations will be elevated.

After completion, the corridor-1 namely R.K Ashram Marg to Indraprastha (9.913 Kms), will improve the connectivity of West, North and old Delhi with Central Delhi and the other two corridors namely Aerocity to IGD Airport T-1 (2.263 kms) and Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj (3.9 kms) corridors will connect south Delhi with the domestic Airport Terminal-1 via Saket, Chattarpur etc which will tremendously boost connectivity within National Capital.

These metro extensions of the Phase – V (A) project will expand the reach of Delhi Metro network in Central Delhi and Domestic Airport thereby further boosting the economy. These extensions of the Magenta Line and Golden Line will reduce congestion on the roads; thus, will help in reducing the pollution caused by motor vehicles.

The stations, which shall come up on the RK Ashram Marg - Indraprastha section are: R.K Ashram Marg, Shivaji Stadium, Central Secretariat, Kartavya Bhawan, India Gate, War Memorial - High Court, Baroda House, Bharat Mandapam, and Indraprastha.

The stations on the Tughlakabad – Kalindi Kunj section will be Sarita Vihar Depot, Madanpur Khadar, and Kalindi Kunj, while the Aerocity station will be connected further with the IGD T-1 station.

Construction of Phase-IV consisting of 111 km and 83 stations are underway, and as of today, about 80.43% of civil construction of Phase-IV (3 Priority) corridors has been completed. The Phase-IV (3 Priority) corridors are likely to be completed in stages by December 2026.

Today, the Delhi Metro caters to an average of 65 lakh passenger journeys per day. The maximum passenger journey recorded so far is 81.87 lakh on August 08, 2025. Delhi Metro has become the lifeline of the city by setting the epitome of excellence in the core parameters of MRTS, i.e. punctuality, reliability, and safety.

A total of 12 metro lines of about 395 km with 289 stations are being operated by DMRC in Delhi and NCR at present. Today, Delhi Metro has the largest Metro network in India and is also one of the largest Metros in the world.