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Rail Budget 2013: Bengal won't have much to cheer
As Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal gears up to table the Railway Budget on Tuesday, Bengal would have very little to look forward to.
Any Congress minister will be presenting the Railway Budget after 17 long years.
After Trinamool Congress gave up Railways, fate of many of the unfinished railway projects in the state is in limbo.
As experts have to say, this year's Railway Budget will by no means a populist one.
West Bengal will only get its due share and won't be showered with goodies like it was in the last couple of years.
According to a few Railway insiders, the Kolkata's Metro Railway will get no new projects.
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Rail Budget 2013: Bengal won
The total number of surveys sanctioned is 13 for a distance of 312 km.
Those won't go beyond the survey stage, said an official.
At the most, the state will receive a few fully air-conditioned Shatabdi-like trains but no more Durontos.
The state may get a new Howrah-Chennai mail and the Bengaluru-bound Yashwantpur Duronto may be made a daily train.
The Shalimar-Secunderabad Express which was announced earlier may run more frequently.
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Rail Budget 2013: Bengal won't have much to cheer
Shalimar and Santragachi stations may be transformed into full-fledged terminals as Minister of State for Railways Adhir Chowdhury has shown interest in these projects, informed sources.
However, there is likely to be no lean fund allocation for Amta-Bagnan, Dankuni-Furfura Sharif or Deshpran-Nandigram stretches as all these are facing land acquisition hurdles.
Future seems bleak for proposed power plant at Adra or the factory at Kanchrapara.