Indian railways achieves milestones: Economic survey highlights FY25 progress

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday presented the Economic Survey 2024-25 in Parliament on the first day of the Budget session. The Survey highlights significant progress in the railways sector, with major advancements in high-speed rail, freight corridors, renewable energy, station infrastructure, and safety systems. 

Expansion of railways network and rolling stockBetween April and October 2024, Indian Railways launched 17 new pairs of Vande Bharat trains and manufactured 228 new coaches, keeping pace with last year's expansion.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project was allocated a revised budget of Rs 1.08 trillion. By October 2024, the project had achieved 47.17 per cent completion, with Rs 67,486 crore spent so far. 

By November 2024, 2,741 km of the planned 2,843 km Dedicated Freight Corridor was completed, transforming freight transport by reducing congestion on passenger train routes.

Renewable energy goals

Indian Railways is targeting 30 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2029-30. As of October 2024, it has commissioned 375 MW of solar energy and 103 MW of wind energy. Station redevelopment and passenger amenities. Indian Railways is focusing on station modernisation and improved passenger services:

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme: Redevelopment work is underway at 1,197 out of 1,337 stations. Affordable healthcare: 50 PMBJKs (Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras) were set up at railway stations, with 18 new outlets inaugurated in November 2024. Food and catering: A new mobile catering policy led to 557 base kitchens, serving 468 train pairs. One Station One Product Scheme: Now active at 1,900 stations, supporting 79,380 local artisans through 2,163 outlets.

Passenger Facilities

Train indication boards at 1,351 stations, Coach Guidance Systems at 866 stations, Wi-Fi services at 6,112 stations, Signalling and safety upgrades. To enhance safety and operational efficiency, Indian Railways is modernising its signalling systems: Electronic Interlocking (EI) Systems were installed at 227 stations in FY25, bringing the total to 3,576 stations. In FY25, mechanical signalling was replaced with Electrical/Electronic Interlocking at 25 out of 62 stations. 

Kavach, India’s Automated Train Protection (ATP) system, saw an investment of Rs 1,547 crore till November 2024. Its specification version 4.0 was approved on July 16, 2024. Automatic Block Signalling (ABS) expanded by 720 route km this year, reaching a total of 4,906 km. New Signal Design Automation Tool (version 5.0) was introduced in September 2024, improving electronic interlocking processes.

President Murmu highlights Kashmir rail project

During her address to Parliament, President Droupadi Murmu announced the completion of the Udhampur-Baramulla-Srinagar rail project, connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari by rail. She praised the completion of two engineering marvels: Chenab Bridge – the world’s highest railway bridge, Anji Bridge –India’s first rail cable bridge. Additionally, the President highlighted the introduction of 71 new Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, and Namo Bharat trains, including 17 Vande Bharat and one Namo Bharat in the past six months.

(Except for the headline, nothing has been changed by All India News Network in the PTI copy.)