Amit Shah Inaugurates Railway Development Projects Worth ₹1,472 Crore at Sabarmati Station, Launches India's First LNG Train

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for various development works worth ₹1,472 crore at the Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. On this occasion, he flagged off the country's first LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) train. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel.

Shri Amit Shah stated that the launch of the LNG train would prove to be a beneficial step toward environmental protection. He linked the projects initiated in the Sabarmati division to environmental sustainability, public convenience, and the safety of rail passengers. He mentioned that a WAG-12 maintenance shed for railway locomotive engines has been constructed at a cost of ₹700 crore. This engine possesses a twin-section capacity of 12,000 horsepower, which is capable of pulling cargo equivalent to approximately 600 trucks on its own.

Prioritizing the safety of rail passengers, the 'Kavach' system has been introduced on the Sabarmati-Kalol-Sabarmati rail section at a cost of ₹48 crore. Additionally, work has begun on implementing the 'Kavach' system on the Ahmedabad-Palanpur and Ahmedabad-Samakhiali rail sections, as well as the doubling of the Sabarmati-Sarkhej rail route.

Discussing the modernization of the railways, the Home Minister noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dedicated Freight Corridors, Rapid Rail systems, and premium stations have been introduced. India has secured a place among the four countries in the world possessing hydrogen-powered train technology. He further shared that the first double-stack long-haul container train trial from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai to Vadodara has been successfully completed, which is expected to nearly double the carrying capacity.

Highlighting the data, Shri Shah stated that before 2014, railway electrification was only 30%, which has now increased to 99.6%. He mentioned that while the railways used 293 crore liters of diesel in 2015-16, this figure has decreased to 108 crore liters in 2024-25. Furthermore, during the Modi government's tenure, there has been a 67% increase in the railway safety budget and a 66% increase in locomotive production capacity.

Providing an example of Gujarat's rail budget, he pointed out that between 2009 and 2014, it was only ₹589 crore, whereas for the year 2026-27, it stands at ₹17,366 crore. He attributed these achievements to the 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' campaigns, which have made the domestic manufacturing of rail engines possible.