New Delhi

Sustained investments have enabled faster rail network expansion, with track commissioning rates more than doubling in the post-2014 period compared to the previous decade, the Economic Survey for the financial year 2025–26, tabled in Parliament on Thursday, said.

According to the Survey, the average commissioning of railway tracks per year between 2004 and 2014 was 1,499 km, which increased to 3,118 km between 2014 and 2024.

"Indian Railways continue to play a pivotal role in India's infrastructure landscape by expanding network capacity, modernising assets and strengthening multimodal connectivity," the Survey said.

It added, "As of March 2025, the rail network has expanded to 69,439 Rkm (Route Kilometer). During FY26, it is targeted to extend the network further by 3,500 km. Electrification has reached 99.1 per cent of the network by October 2025."

The Survey stated that a defining feature of recent years has been record capital expenditure on railway infrastructure, with a focus on new lines, doubling and multi-tracking, rolling stock augmentation, signalling, and safety-related works.

Based on the Budget Estimates for FY26, it was observed that capital expenditure has been maintained at historically high levels to accelerate capacity creation in a time-bound manner.

"Railways have also emerged as a backbone of India's freight and energy logistics, supporting coal movement, industrial supply chains, and containerised traffic through dedicated corridors, modern terminals, and first-mile connectivity projects," the Survey said.

"Parallel investments in stations, signalling, telecom and digital systems are improving network reliability, safety, and user experience," it added.

Highlighting some of the key infrastructure initiatives in the Railways Sector, such as Economic Railway Corridors (PM GatiShakti), Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR), Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs), station redevelopment, safety, technology and track upgradation, the Survey underscored ongoing transformative improvement in the national transporter.

"Indian Railways is undergoing a transformation, driven by sustained capital investment, rapid network expansion, near-universal electrification and a corridor-based approach to capacity creation," it said.

Talking about the MAHSR, the country's first bullet train project, it stated that over 55 per cent physical progress has been achieved as of October 2025, with land acquisition completed and most civil packages awarded, marking a major step towards introducing high-speed rail infrastructure in India.

The Survey noted that about 2,741 km (96.4 per cent) of the 2,843 km Dedicated Freight Corridors network has been commissioned as of October 2025, with the Eastern DFC (1,337 km) fully completed and 1,404 km of the 1,506 km Western DFC completed.

"These corridors are easing congestion on the passenger network, significantly reducing freight transit times and contributing to lowering logistics costs," it said.

Appreciating the Railways' station redevelopment scheme, the Survey said that under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 1,337 stations have been identified for phased redevelopment, with works completed at select stations and progress underway across the country to improve capacity, accessibility and multimodal integration.

"More than 78 per cent of railway tracks have been upgraded for sectional speed of 110 kmph and above," it said.

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It added, "Continued focus on dedicated freight corridors, economic rail corridors under PM GatiShakti, and modern signalling and station infrastructure is improving throughput, reliability and multimodal integration."

In its Outlook, the Survey observed that these infrastructure-led initiatives will be central for reducing logistics costs and strengthening connectivity.