Parliament Question: Focus Areas for Railway Upgradation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1771 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2025 FOCUS AREAS FOR RAILWAY UPGRADATION †1771. SMT. ROOPKUMARI CHOUDHARY: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the key focus areas for railway upgradation in the country; (b) whether the primary objective of Indian Railways is to transport goods or to ensure the convenience of passengers and the general public and whether these requirements are included in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the convenience of the general public; (c) if so, the details thereof; and (d) the details of the number of such projects currently underway that have been specifically designed keeping in mind the convenience of passengers and the general public, State-wise? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (d): Indian Railways functions as a multipurpose national transporter with equal emphasis on the transportation of freight and ensuring the convenience and comfort of passengers and the general public. The key focus area includes capacity creation through expansion (Doubling, Tripling,Gauge conversion, Electrification etc.), Station development, Road Over Bridge (ROB) and Road Under Bridge (RUB), New trains, High powered locomotives etc.  New Line, Gauge Conversion and Doubling Projects- During the last three years i.e. FY 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and the current FY, 237 projects (40 New Line, 17 Guage Conversion and 180 Doubling) of total length 9,703 Km costing approx. Rs 1,90,333 Cr. have been sanctioned across Indian Railways. Furthermore, during this period 892 surveys (267 New Line, 11 Guage Conversion & 614 Doubling) of total length 61,642 Km have been sanctioned for preparation of Detailed Project Report for meeting the transportation needs of passengers and freight traffic. As on 01.04.25, across Indian Railways, 431 Railway Infrastructure projects (154 New Line, 33 Gauge Conversion and 244 Doubling) of total length 35,966 Km, costing approx Rs 6.75 lakh Cr. are sanctioned, out of which, Rs 12,769Km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of approx. Rs 2.91 Lakh Cr. has been incurred upto March, 2025. The summary is as under:- Plan Head No of Total Length Balance Cost Total Exp Projects Length Commissioned length (Rs. Cr.) upto NL/GC/DL till Mar'25 As on Mar'25 (km) (Km) 01.04.25 (Rs. Cr) (Km) New lines 154 16,142 3,036 13,105 3,77,389 1,45,318 Gauge 33 4,180 2,997 1,183 43,820 22,753 conversion Doubling 244 15 644 6,736 8,909 2,53,711 1,22,858 TOTAL 431 35,966 12,769 23,197 6,74,920 2,90,929Since 2014, there has been substantial increase in budget allocation and commensurate commissioning of projects. The average annual budget allocation for New Line, Gauge conversion and Doubling projects across Indian Railways is given below:- Period Outlay 2009-14 Rs. 11,527 Cr./year 2025-26 Rs 68,785 Cr. (Nearly 6 times) The details of commissioning/laying of new track across Indian Railways is given below:- Period New Track Commissioned Average commissioning of new tracks 2009-14 7,599 Km 4.2 Km/day 2014-25 34,428 Km 8.57 Km/day (more than 2 times)  Amrit Bharat Station Scheme:- Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term approach. It involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the amenities at the stations like improvement of station access, circulating areas, waiting halls, toilets, lift/escalators as necessary. platform surfacing and cover over platform, cleanliness, free Wi-Fi, kiosks for local products through schemes like 'One Station One Product', better passenger information systems, executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station.The scheme also envisages improvement of building, integrating the station with both sides of the city, multimodal integration, amenities for Divyangjans, sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks, etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term. So far, 1,337 stations have been identified for development under this scheme. Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, phase-l works of 105 stations have been completed. . Further, works have been taken up at 1109 stations. The works have been taken up at a good pace. Development/upgradation of stations is generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. The details of allocation and expenditure under Plan Head-53 are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not work-wise or station- wise or state-wise. A budget allocation of Rs 12,218 Crores has been made for the financial year 2025-26 under Plan Head-53.  Road Over Bridge (ROB) and Railway Under Bridge (RUB) The numbers of ROBs/RUBs constructed on Indian Railways during the period 2004-14 vis-a-vis 2014-25 (upto June’25) are as under: Period ROBs/RUBs constructed 2004-14 4,148 2014-25 (upto June’25) 13,426 As on 01.04.2025, 4402 Nos. ROBs/ RUBs are sanctioned at a cost of Rs.1,00,860 Crores on Indian Railways. Locomotive Production:- Locomotive production by Indian Railway Production Units is on increase continuously. The production units have turned out 8040 locos during the period 2014-15 to 2023-24 (ten years) compared to 4497 during 2004-05 to 2013-14, which is an increase of 78.8%.  Introduction of New Train Sets :- To enhance passenger experience and provide comfortable journey, State of the Art Vande Bharat trains (144 train services), Amrit Bharat Trains and Namo Bharat Rapid Rail with modern features have been introduced on Indian Railways. *****