Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated India’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) train from Sabarmati station in Ahmedabad, marking a historic leap in the nation’s green transportation initiatives.
Alongside the landmark LNG launch, Shah inaugurated, dedicated, and laid foundation stones for critical railway infrastructure and modernization projects worth over Rs 1,500 crore in Gujarat.
The comprehensive rollout features state-of-the-art technological upgrades aimed at boosting safety, capacity, and efficiency. Key highlights include line doubling initiatives, the advanced Kavach train protection system, automatic signalling frameworks, and a dedicated maintenance shed for high-power WAG-12 electric locomotives. Shah also reviewed the successful trial of the first long double-stack container train running from Mumbai to Vadodara, which is expected to ease track congestion for freight movement and double vehicle carrying capacity through 2040.
Highlighting the sweeping changes in India’s transport sector since 2014, Shah contrasted past governance with the current administration’s focus on modernisation and indigenous manufacturing. He pointed out that rail electrification has surged remarkably, with annual track electrification soaring from 75 km in 2010-11 to 7,188 km in 2023-24, bringing India’s network electrification to an impressive 99.6 per cent—outpacing major global economies.
Furthermore, Shah underscored monumental eco-friendly shifts, noting that diesel consumption in railways is projected to drop to zero by 2030, supported by the Make in India initiative. Financial commitment to the state has also expanded exponentially, with Gujarat’s annual railway budget allocation rising from Rs 589 crore during 2009-14 to a massive Rs 17,366 crore for 2026-27. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi, and senior railway dignitaries graced the high-profile event.
