Railways spends nearly 80% of gross budgetary support for FY26

FY26 targets likely to be fully achieved, says the transporter

Continuing its spending spree, the ministry of railways has spent nearly 81 per cent of its allocated capital expenditure budget of Rs 2.52 trillion for 2025–26 by the end of December.

 

“As of the end of December 2025, Indian Railways has spent 80.54 per cent, that is, Rs 2,03,138 crore, of the total gross budgetary support (GBS) of Rs 2,52,200 crore. This represents a 6.54 per cent increase in GBS utilisation compared to the same period last year (December 2024),” the rail ministry said, adding that the expenditure mainly focused on safety measures, capacity enhancement, infrastructure modernisation and passenger amenities.

 

The railways has been front-loading its capital expenditure for the past few years, which has allowed it to meet its expenditure targets in previous fiscal years.

 

On safety-related works, 84 per cent of the allocated funds have been utilised. For capacity augmentation, of the Rs 1,09,238 crore allocated, Rs 76,048 crore (69 per cent) has been spent. “Customer amenities have seen 80 per cent utilisation, with expenditure amounting to Rs 9,575 crore till December 2025,” the ministry said.

 

These trends, according to the national transporter, indicate that the Ministry of Railways’ GBS expenditure plan is on track, with infrastructure works being executed expeditiously. “They also suggest that the targets for FY26 are likely to be fully achieved,” it added.

 

The ministry is close to introducing India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train, which it says will transform long-distance travel in India.

 

“The results of consistent capital expenditure over the last decade are evident in 164 Vande Bharat train services, 30 Amrit Bharat train services, the implementation of the Kavach automatic train protection system, over 99 per cent electrification of the broad-gauge network, and extensive works covering new lines, gauge conversion, track doubling, traffic facilities, investments in PSUs, and metropolitan transport systems,” it said.