Yes rail services to border areas are important, so are speedy rail services to other Indians.
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Things will move slowly, partly due to our existing bureaucratic setup and other related incidents.
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true that China has the worlds largest high speed network...but Tibet is connected to Main land China by the Qindao Tibet railway which is not high speed.
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Even though China is building railways close to border, the probability of having a skirmish with China seems bleak. China is now economically not in a strong position and India China ties are better than ever.
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Hence some focus can be shifted to other areas thereby making life better for Indians. I agree that achieving 160 kmph isn't a great task considering that a line in the south KR did it more than 15 years ago.But it will pave way for more such occurances.
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All we need is a bit more patience, keep supporting the Govt by both applauding it as well as criticizing when necessary.
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Ache Din will come and it will take time. Years of lethargy and apathy cannot be removed in such a few time.
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Rann Of Kutch and Ladakh ?
They are the "Least populous regions" of india. Laying tracks and running trains there will cause a Huge Negative Loss for railways.
For Rann of Kutch, village people for there daily needs , they are completely dependent on Bhuj city. So for rail connectivity also , Bhuj can be considered.
Also Dras-Kargil-Leh-Ladakh can use Shrinagar as railhead...
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for connectivity as already for there daily and survival requirements ,they are dependent on Kashmir capital Shrinagar only. Let once the SVDK-Banihal route be completed , all will be fine of J&K and Ladakh.
And regarding Arunachal, development work is in progress at this moment we talk here. The Railways in Arunachal & Northeastern states has been declared as national projects. So soon in future, Itanagar is possible to be connected with direct railways.
And we should not compare ourselves with China.
Reason: China is a Communist country who has never been ruled under any foreign country , but we India is a Democratic country which has just got independence in 1947. We are hardly 70 years old , whereas China is "uncountable" years older than us.
Just want to share one line which a IRI member had said ,
"To Feel depressed , compare with China, Japan, and all Big Bulls, but to feel proud, compare with others who are behind us..."