Railways

Govt planning new Rail Tech policy to cut dependence on foreign suppliers

Under the plan, the Railway board is expected to offer partial funding, technical help, and access to testing centres

Funding woes of Metros: Expansion continues, PPP model needs recalibration

Metros are among the most capital-intensive urban assets. Construction costs around ₹250 crore per kilometre and take five years or more. Revenue stabilisation often takes another decade

Final stretch of 82-km Namo Bharat corridor likely to open on February 22

The remaining stretches of the 82-km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor, connecting Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi with Modipuram in Meerut, are expected to be inaugurated on February 22 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said requesting anonymity. Alongside the Namo Bharat inauguration, the 23-km Meerut Metro with 13 stations will also be launched, the source said. The remaining sections, a 5-km stretch in Delhi between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar, and a 21-km stretch from Meerut South to Modipuram, are now complete and slated for inauguration in February 22. The 82-km Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor includes several prominent stations such as Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Muradnagar, Modinagar South, Modinagar North and Meerut South, among others, which together form the backbone of the regional rapid transit system connecting key residential, commercial and industrial clusters along the alignment. The NCRTC said that a 55-km stretch of th

Cabinet approves three multi-tracking railway projects worth ₹18,509 cr

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved three projects of the Railway Ministry entailing a cost of approximately Rs 18,509 crore. These projects include the construction of third and fourth lines between Kasara-Manmad, Delhi-Ambala, and Ballari-Hosapete. "The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways," the government said in a statement on Saturday. "These multi-tracking proposals are poised to streamline operations and alleviate congestion. The projects are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a New India, which will make people in the region 'Atmanirbhar' through comprehensive development that enhances employment and self-employment opportunities," it added. According to the statement, the projects are planned under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, with a focus on enhancing multi-modal ...

Railways seeks Centre's nod for MP project that may fell over 120,000 trees

The Indian Railways has sought final approval from the Centre to begin gauge conversion of the Mhow-Khandwa line in Madhya Pradesh that could lead to felling of over 1.2 lakh trees, officials have said. Once approval is granted by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the trees could be cleared for the broad gauge line across dense forests in two districts, they said on Thursday. Officials said the 156-km broad-gauge line will replace the 118-km narrow-gauge track laid during the pre-independence princely state era. The gauge conversion work is ongoing and is expected to be completed within the next two years. In a statement, Mukesh Kumar, public relations officer of Western Railway's Ratlam division, said the remaining gauge conversion work for the roughly 90-km Mhow (Dr Ambedkar Nagar)-Omkareshwar Road section requires final clearance from the central ministry. "Construction will take place on about 454 hectares of forest land between Mhow and ...

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train spends nearly ₹87,000 cr so far: Vaishnaw

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tells Lok Sabha that Rs 86,939 crore has been spent so far on the 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail corridor

RailTel secures ₹455 crore Kavach project from West Central Railway

RailTel has a project valued at ₹454.95 crore for Survey, Design, Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of Trackside Kavach Systems across key routes of the Jabalpur Division of WCR

Triumphs and tragedies: The extraordinary journey of India's first railway

On August 15, 1854, a five-coach train pulled by a British-made locomotive left Howrah at 8:30 am for Hooghly without any fanfare -- signalling an engineering triumph and the beginning of eastern India's first railway. However, this historic milestone achieved by the then-East Indian Railway (EIR), whose massive network would eventually reach Delhi by the 1860s, was preceded by a series of unfortunate events that delayed its arrival on the country's landscape and in people's consciousness. A new book on the birth and evolution of the EIR and the East India Railway Company that established it, based on multiple 19th-century-era accounts drawn from a range of archives, has endeavoured to offer an "unbiased narrative" of this railway and the men who built it, brick by brick and steel by steel. "Before the inaugural run, the EIR had already stirred public curiosity in Bengal with its first locomotive-only trial on June 29, 1854, from Howrah to Pandooah, followed by an experimental run o

Bengaluru - Mumbai premium train service will start soon: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said that a premium train service from Bengaluru to Mumbai will start soon. He said Karnataka has received a record Rs 7,748 crore in this year's railway budget -- nine times the allocation during the Congress-led UPA government, and the total railway investment in the state is Rs 52,950 crore. "Massive investment will cover track creation, station redevelopment, safety, announcements, Bengaluru suburban and many new projects in Karnataka," he told reporters here. Addressing a press conference here, the minister said that, "very soon, we'll be starting a premium train service from Bengaluru to Mumbai. Tejasvi ji (Bengaluru South MP) had come for that, and many other requests had also come. Many sections are getting doubled, so very soon we'll have many more services." On the Vande Bharat train from Bengaluru to Mangaluru, he said, "Now, the testing, certifications are going on for electrification. As soon as those processes are complete

Rlys' financial health improved in last 10 yrs, surplus revenue: Vaishnaw

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the financial health of the railways department has improved a lot in the last 10 years and it now has a small revenue surplus after meeting all costs. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said 5.04 lakh jobs were generated during the 2014-24 period while another 1.5 lakh employment is being provided in the third term of the government. Vaishnaw said there have been concerted efforts in the last 10 years to increase freight traffic, enhance passenger revenue, besides controlling cost. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there has been a lot of improvement in the financial health of the Indian Railways in the last 10 years," he said while replying to a question by senior BJP member Laxmikant Bajpayee. Elaborating further, Vaishnaw said the railways staff cost stands around Rs 1.18 lakh crore for about 12 lakh employees while 18 lakh pensioners cost Rs 65,000 ..

1 in 4 superfast trains runs below threshold speed, says House panel

A parliamentary panel has flagged that about 25 per cent of superfast trains run below the prescribed speed threshold but continue to levy higher fares, urging a review of speed and punctuality benchm

Oberoi Realty tops bid for Railway land in Mumbai's Bandra for ₹5,400 cr

Mumbai-based Oberoi Realty has emerged as the highest bidder for an 11-acre Railway land parcel in Bandra East for ₹5,400 crore, securing development rights on a 99-year lease

Outcome Budget data raises questions on returns from government capex

The Outcome Budget or OOMF is meant to link government spending to measurable results, but near-identical targets across years highlight gaps in assessing returns on public investment

Budget 2026: Indian Railways to see record capex of ₹2.92 trillion in FY27

Union Budget 2026-27 raises Indian Railways' capital outlay to a record Rs 2.99 lakh crore, outlining new high-speed rail corridors, a fresh east-west freight corridor

Budget 2026 proposes seven high-speed rail corridors linking growth cities

Budget 2026 outlines seven high-speed rail corridors linking cities such as Mumbai-Pune and Delhi-Varanasi, aiming to cut travel time, reduce carbon emissions and support balanced regional development

Centrally funded infrastructure projects see 18.3% cost jump in December

Revised estimates of 1,392 ongoing projects climbed to ₹35.1 trillion as overruns persisted, though the pace of cost escalation eased sequentially from November

RRB Group D Admit Card 2026 out for Feb 2 exam; here's how to download

The RRB Group D Admit Card 2026 for the Feb 2 exam has been made available by the Railway Recruitment Board. On the regional RRBs' official websites, candidates can get their hall tickets

East Coast Railway earned ₹23,000 crore in freight charges in 294 days

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has achieved Rs 23,000 crore freight earnings in 294 days during the current financial year, an official statement said. According to a statement issued by ECoR, it reached this landmark in 294 days during the current financial year 202526, on January 19, which is 27 days earlier than the previous financial year 202425, when the same was achieved in 321 days. "This remarkable performance reflects the sustained growth trajectory and operational efficiency of the zone," a senior officer said. Till December 2025, the ECoR's total originating earnings increased from Rs 21,543 crore in 202425 to Rs 23,959 crore in 202526, registering an overall growth of 11.21 per cent. During the period, the passenger earnings rose from Rs 1,764.32 crore in 202425 to Rs 1,835.91 crore in 202526, while earnings from goods (freight) witnessed a significant jump from Rs 19,482.63 crore to Rs 21,749.38 crore, underlining the zone's strong freight base. This apart, sundry earn

Railway cooperative societies asked to align bye-laws with amended Act

Cooperative Election Authority (CEA) on Monday called on railway employee cooperative societies to align their bylaws with amended legislation, as the regulator works to strengthen democratic governance in the sector. The meeting brought together representatives from 16 multi-state cooperative societies of railway employees, with more than 40 office bearers attending, the authority said in a statement. The discussions centered on aligning society bylaws with the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023, establishing representative general bodies, and ensuring timely election proposals are submitted at least six months before boards complete their tenures. CEA Chairperson Devendra Kumar Singh said the body has conducted 220 elections since its establishment, with 70 currently underway nationwide. The authority was created following 2023 amendments to oversee electoral rolls and conduct elections in multi-state cooperative societies. India has approximately 18 ...

Guwahati-Howrah Vande Bharat Sleeper commercial services to start soon

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first Vande Bharat Sleeper train from West Bengal's Malda on Saturday, the Railway Ministry said that its commercial operations for common passengers will begin soon. "This train is not available for booking for common passengers at present. But efforts are being made in the booking system to include it," a senior railway official said. The date from which the train will be available for general passengers has not yet been decided, he said. Many people who arrived at Assam's Kamakhya railway station to attend the virtual launch of the Vande Bharat Sleeper version by the Prime Minister, who was in Malda to physically flag off one train set, said the Railways should start the train's commercial run as soon as possible so that its benefits can be availed by needy travellers. On January 8, 2026, the ministry released a circular notifying the train's timetable and stoppages. According to the circular, one train set (Train No 27576) will