Page 4 - Indian Railways

Northeast Frontier Railways added 11 trains in 2025, connected Mizoram

The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) in 2025 has introduced 11 new trains, including the first ones connecting Mizoram, a statement said on Tuesday. The new services have improved passenger convenience and enhanced rail connectivity across the Northeast and adjoining areas, it said. Mizoram was put on the country's rail map in September, with the Sairang-Anand Vihar Rajdhani Express commencing weekly services. The Guwahati-Sairang Express was introduced as a daily service, and the Kolkata-Sairang Express started operating on a tri-weekly basis. The Guwahati-North Lakhimpur Jan Shatabdi Express was introduced on a bi-weekly basis, and the New Bongaigaon-Guwahati Passenger on a daily basis. The Tinsukia-Naharlagun Express was introduced as a tri-weekly service. Among the other trains introduced were Sealdah-Jalpaiguri Road Weekly Express, Danapur-Jogbani Vande Bharat Express operating six days a week, Erode-Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express on a weekly basis, and the daily Siliguri-Katih

From Chenab bridge to Mizoram link: Railways scaled tough terrain in 2025

Indian Railways expanded into some of its toughest terrains in 2025, with landmark projects such as the country's first vertical-lift in Pamban, Tamil Nadu and the world's highest rail bridge on the Chenab river, providing an all-weather rail link to Kashmir. This year also saw rail connectivity reach Mizoram through the commissioning of the Birabi-Sairang line, completing the long-pending links to remote and strategically significant regions in the Northeast. These projects marked a major push towards integrating difficult geographies with the national rail network. In 2025, the Ministry of Railways launched 42 projects in the country, collectively valued at more than Rs 25,000 crore. The railways also operated a record number of special trains, and rapidly expanded Vande Bharat services with 15 new trains introduced during the year. A total of 164 Vande Bharat Express trains now run in the country, the railway ministry said in its year-end review. According to the Ministry of ...

Southern Railway to double train capacity in major cities by 2030: Vaishnaw

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said the Southern Railway will double train capacity in Chennai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Ernakulam in Kerala by 2030 to meet the growing demand. He announced comprehensive upgrades for coaching terminals in Southern Railway hubs, including Chennai, Coimbatore and Ernakulam (Kochi) to facilitate this. "We are expanding coaching terminals, enhancing sectional and operational capacities in various cities to meet rising passenger demand and reduce congestion. This move will upgrade our railway network and improve nationwide connectivity," a press release issued by Southern Railway quoted the minister as saying. The strategy addresses rapid travel growth through additional platforms, stabling lines, new terminals, maintenance facilities and multi-tracking, it said. Chennai and Coimbatore were among the 48 major cities identified for this time-bound capacity doubling, it added. According to the release, Chennai Egmore station ...

Fare hikes take Indian Railways one step forward, many more still to go

The Railways has described the move as "modest" and calibrated to impose a minimal burden on travellers

Kavach rollout delayed as Railways misses Mumbai-Delhi-Kolkata deadline

The Railway Ministry has missed the deadline to install the automatic train protection system, Kavach, on the New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah routes by December 2025. However, the officials are hopeful of operationalising the system by 2026. Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which is a highly technology-intensive system. It helps loco pilots in running trains within specified speed limits by the automatic application of brakes in case they fail to do so. According to officials, significant progress has been made with the commissioning of about 25 per cent of the work and installation of crucial components on the remaining routes. "We are doing our level best to operationalise Kavach on the Mumbai-Delhi and Delhi-Kolkata route, hoping that it will be achieved in 2026," officials said. The Railway Ministry on August 7, 2024, said that Kavach work would be completed on the said route by March 2025. It announced the extension of the ...

Railways to double train capacity in major cities by 2030: Ashwini Vaishnaw

In view of the rapid, sustained growth in demand for travel, the capacity of major cities to originate new trains needs to be doubled from the current level in the next five years. The current infrastructure needs to be augmented to meet the requirements of the coming years.Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, said, "We're expanding coaching terminals, enhancing sectional and operational capacities in various cities to meet rising passenger demand and reduce congestion. This move will upgrade our railway network and improve nationwide connectivity.''Meanwhile, the works for doubling the originating capacity by the year 2030 would include: Augmenting the current terminals with additional platforms, stabling lines, pit lines, and adequate shunting facilities; Identifying and creating new terminals in and around the urban area; Maintenance facilities, including mega coaching complexes; Increasing ..

The Railways as social contract: What Amitava Kumar's book reveals

Slim, at just 130 pages, the book might be a bit of a disappointment for readers looking for an in-depth account of the history and socio-economic aspects of the Indian Railways

Indian Railways to double originating train capacity in 48 cities by 2030

Indian Railways plans to double the capacity of major cities to originate new trains by 2030 through terminal upgrades, new terminals and maintenance facilities to meet travel demand

Railway fare hike kicks in today: Here's how passengers are affected

Indian Railways has implemented a fresh fare hike from today, raising ticket prices by up to two paise per kilometre on select trains while sparing suburban services and season ticket holders

Centrally funded infra projects see 21% cost jump in Oct as overruns mount

Among large infrastructure ministries (as per project count), the Ministry of Railways recorded a 17.8 per cent increase over original costs

IRFC to refinance World Bank's ₹10K crore loan for freight corridor

DFCCIL and IRFC have signed a refinancing pact for ₹10,000 crore of World Bank dollar loans for the Eastern freight corridor, a move expected to save the government ₹2,700 crore

Rail-related stocks in focus; JWL, Kernex, RailTel, BEML rally up to 9%

Jupiter Wagons (JWL) surged 9% to ₹337.70 on the back of over four-fold jump in the average trading volumes; the stock has zoomed 30% in two days.

Train travel gets costlier from Dec 26: What the fare hike means for you | Indian Railways | IRCTC

Indian Railways will revise passenger fares from December 26, 2025. The hike is modest but impacts long-distance travellers, especially in non-AC and AC Mail and Express trains.

Train travel and excess luggage: Do passengers face airport-style charges?

Passengers can carry limited baggage free, but excess weight attracts charges under the railway rules

Railways revises fares from Dec 26; 500-km non-AC journey to cost ₹10 more

The fare rationalisation leaves suburban trains, season tickets and short-distance ordinary travel untouched, while longer non-AC and AC journeys see marginal increases to offset rising costs

Par Panel urges Railways to resolve crew crisis affecting DFC train ops

The vision of fully electrified dedicated freight corridors with exclusive high-capacity tracks, aimed at significantly boosting freight movement efficiency, could face setbacks if operational bottlenecks, such as crew availability, are not addressed promptly, a parliamentary committee has warned. The committee's comments came after the Ministry of Railways acknowledged that "the biggest challenge faced by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) in running trains is the availability of crew." In a submission to the committee, the Ministry provided details regarding the number of employees in various categories involved in train operations on Indian Railways as of June 1, 2025. According to the Ministry, out of a sanctioned strength of 1,42,814 loco pilots, the actual strength stands at 1,07,928. Similarly, for goods train managers (guards), out of 22,082 sanctioned posts, only 12,345 are currently filled. The total sanctioned strength for all categories, includi

Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani mows down 7 tuskers in Assam, 5 coaches derailed

Eight elephants were killed and one injured after a herd was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai district in the wee hours of Saturday, a forest official said. Five coaches and the train's engine were derailed in the incident, though no injuries to passengers were reported, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am. Nagaon divisional forest officer Suhash Kadam told PTI that the incident occurred at Changjurai area of Hojai district. Kadam and other forest officials have reached the site. Trains scheduled to pass through the affected JamunamukhKampur section have been diverted through the UP line, and restoration work is underway, he added. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).

Best of BS Opinion: Regulatory, factor-market reforms key to India's growth

Today's Best of BS Opinion looks at insurance FDI liberalisation, the railways' subsidy model, regulatory bottlenecks hurting investment, shifting FDI flows, and new ideas shaping US politics.

Passengers must pay: Rail freight revenue can increase, but so must fares

A parliamentary panel has urged Indian Railways to diversify freight beyond coal, revisit tariffs and confront passenger fare subsidies to keep the system financially viable

Indian Railways changes reservation chart timing: What passengers must know

Indian Railways has revised train reservation chart timings. Charts will now be finalised at least 10 hours before departure. The move aims to reduce uncertainty and improve travelling