All UP districts can be connected to rail network

The Railway Ministry is busy expanding the rail network in the country and if the Uttar Pradesh government cooperates, all districts in the state can be connected with the facility, Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa said today. Muniyappa, who inaugurated the gauge conversion of 99 km stretch in Padrauna, told reporters here that if the state government was ready to bear half the economic burden, all the districts could be linked by railways. He also assured that interests of Uttar Pradesh would be kept in mind in the next rail budget. The minister said work was on in full swing in the Rail Coach Factory in Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli where production would start by next year. On difficulties due to thick fog in winters on the rail movement, he said research was going on in Research Design and Standard Organisation in Lucknow to develop improved devices to enable better visibility. He said fog safe devices have helped to some extent and hoped that trains cancelled due to fog would be restarted soon.