Railway Budget

Indian Railways utilised 98 per cent of its budget for FY26, reflecting the pace of execution of projects, and in the days to come, trains will dominate flights on several upcoming corridors across the country, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. "In the last financial year, the entire capex was spent practically by the 1st week of March itself. Practically by the last week of February, it was like 98 points some percentage. Then we had to, in a sense stop that because we have to complete the entire year," Vaishnaw said. He said 49,000 kilometres of railway tracks across the country has been electrified, which is more than the entire network of Germany and 36,000 kilometres of new tracks have been added, which is about six Switzerlands to Indian railway network. The minister said in many of these routes the travel time will be significantly reduced and people will prefer trains over airlines on those routes. Vaishnaw said the government is working on new corridors from

The 100 sanctioned projects include new lines, doubling and multitracking works, as well as bypass lines, flyovers and chord lines

Railway Board has asked NHSRCL to update DPRs with current costs for seven proposed high-speed rail corridors, as India looks to accelerate bullet train expansion beyond Mumbai-Ahmedabad

Massive indigenisation has occurred in high-speed tech, detailed plan may not need foreign funding

Key sectors such as defence and railways saw large FY27 allocations in the Budget documents, even though they found little or no mention in Sitharaman's Budget 2026 speech

ICRA sees 5% growth in rail budget

Vaishnaw noted that Bihar is among the top states with the highest number of Vande Bharat trains, underlining the government's focus on modernising rail travel in the region

Passenger traffic rose 6% in FY25, driven by growth in both reserved and unreserved categories while revenue rose 50% since FY20 on the back of premium train services

Centre clears highway and rail projects including Badvel-Nellore corridor and multitracking lines in MP and Maharashtra aimed at boosting logistics and connectivity

The surge was led by names like Titagarh Rail, RVNL, IRFC, and BEML. Titagarh Rail Systems emerged as the top gainer, jumping 10.72 per cent to close at ₹895.85, followed by RVNL, which climbed 10.45

Improving crowd management, adopting energy-efficient technologies, and enhancing onboard amenities are some of the suggestions

Derailments are the top cause for accidents, with collisions and fire being distant second and third. In 2022-23, there was a spurt in the first two accident types

Budget 2025: Indian Railways heavily subsidises train fares, particularly for senior citizens, students, and people with disabilities-but by how much?

Railways must address structural inefficiencies

The Commissioner of Railway safety has said the Kanchanjunga express accident involving a goods train was "waiting to happen" due to lapses at multiple levels in managing train operations in automatic signal zones, and "inadequate counselling" of loco pilots and station masters. In its probe report into the June 17 accident that left 10 persons dead, including the loco pilot of the goods train, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) also recommended implementation of the Automatic Train-protection system (KAVACH) on top priority. The CRS said wrong paper authority or T/A 912 to cross defective signals was issued to the loco pilot of the goods train involved by authorities concerned. Further, the paper authority didn't mention the speed that the goods train driver was supposed to follow while crossing the defective signal. Considering various lapses on part of the rail administration, the CRS said, "Due to improper authority and that too without adequate information, such an incide

In FY25, 4,485 coaches will be produced, including 2,605 general coaches, 1,470 non-AC sleeper coaches, 323 SLR coaches, 32 high-capacity parcel vans, and 55 pantry cars, featuring Amrit Bharat models

Despite substantial previous Budget allocations, incidents like the Kanchanjunga Express collision with a goods train in West Bengal highlight ongoing concerns

The proposed Sabarimala railway project in Kerala has not made progress even after so many years of efforts due to lack of cooperation from the state government and two alternatives alignments are being looked at, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. The project, also known as Sabari rail project, is aimed at providing connectivity for pilgrims visiting the Sabarimala temple in the state. The Railways Minister told the Lok Sabha that two alternative alignments are being looked at for the project. Sabari rail project is another classic case study in which despite so many years of efforts, it has not made the kind of progress it should have because of the lack of cooperation from the state government on the issue of land acquisition and giving matching funds, he said during the Question Hour. "Right now, we are working on two possible alternative alignments. One alignment will take the project line very close to the shrine and other alignment will terminate at around 25

Freight earnings are expected to grow 6.5 per cent in FY25. This is faster than the 2.5 per cent expected in the revised estimates for the current year

Proposals will lead to safety and higher travel speed for passengers, says Finance Minister