**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 911 concerning new railway projects across India, to be answered on February 4, 2026. It details the number of approved projects, their estimated costs, priority given to aspirational districts and border areas, and project completion timelines. It also details total expenditure up to March 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Project Approval and Execution:**
* Railway projects are surveyed, sanctioned, and executed Zonal Railway wise and not State-wise.
* Projects are approved based on remunerativeness, traffic projections, connectivity, alternate routes, and demands raised by State Governments.
* **Project Overview (as of April 1, 2025):**
* 431 Railway infrastructure projects (154 New Line, 33 Gauge Conversion, and 244 Doubling) are sanctioned.
* The total length of these projects is 35,966 Km, with an approximate cost of ₹6.75 lakh crore.
* 12,769 Km of length has been commissioned.
* An expenditure of approximately ₹2.91 lakh crore has been incurred up to March 2025.
* **Project Summary Table:**
* **New Lines:** 154 projects, 16,142 Km total length, 3,036 Km commissioned, ₹1,45,318 crore expenditure.
* **Gauge Conversion:** 33 projects, 4,180 Km total length, 2,997 Km commissioned, ₹22,753 crore expenditure.
* **Doubling / Multitracking:** 244 projects, 15,644 Km total length, 6,736 Km commissioned, ₹1,22,858 crore expenditure.
* **Commissioning Details:**
* 2009-14: 7,599 Km new track commissioned, averaging 4.2 Km/day.
* 2014-25: 34,428 Km new track commissioned, averaging 8.57 Km/day.
* **Factors Affecting Project Completion:**
* Land acquisition by State Government
* Forest clearance
* Shifting of infringing utilities
* Statutory clearances from various authorities
* Geological and topographical conditions of area
* Law and order situation in the area of project site
* Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.
* **Data Availability:**
* Zone-wise and year-wise details of all Railway projects are available on the Indian Railway's website.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology**
* **Impact:** Responsible for providing information on railway projects and their progress. Must continue surveying, sanctioning, and executing projects based on specified criteria.
* **Action Required:** Maintain up-to-date project information on the Indian Railway's website.
**State Governments**
* **Impact:** Directly involved in railway projects within their boundaries, particularly concerning land acquisition.
* **Action Required:** Facilitate land acquisition and provide necessary clearances to ensure project timelines are met.
**Members of Parliament and other Public Representatives**
* **Impact:** Serve as liaisons between the public and the Railways, and can influence project priorities based on regional needs.
* **Action Required:** Stay informed about railway projects in their constituencies and provide input to the Ministry.
**Citizens/Public**
* **Impact:** Benefit from improved rail infrastructure and connectivity.
* **Action Required:** Access information on projects through the official website and hold representatives accountable.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Railways: Primary subject; responsible for railway projects across India.
New Railway Projects: Subject of the question, including new lines, gauge conversions, and doubling/multitracking.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 911
TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026
NEW RAILWAY PROJECTS ACROSS INDIA
†911. SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the number of new railway projects approved in the
country so far, Statewise;
(b) the details of the total estimated cost of these projects;
(c) whether priority has been given to aspirational districts and border
areas and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the details of the time line fixed for completion of these projects?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (d): Railway projects are surveyed/sanctioned/executed Zonal
Railway wise and not State-wise as the Railway projects may span
across State boundaries. Railway projects are sanctioned on the basis
of remunerativeness, traffic projections, last mile connectivity,
missing links and alternate routes, augmentation of
congested/saturated lines, demands raised by State Governments,
..P/2-:2:-
Central Ministries, Members of Parliament, other public
representatives, Railway’s own operational requirement, socio-
economic considerations etc. including connection to aspirational
districts and border areas depending upon throwforward of ongoing
projects and overall availability of funds.
As on 01.04.2025, across Indian Railways, 431 Railway infrastructure
projects (154 New Line, 33 Gauge Conversion and 244 Doubling) of
total length 35,966 Km, costing approx. 6.75 lakh crore are
sanctioned including aspirational districts and border areas, out of
which, 12,769 Km length has been commissioned and an expenditure
of approx. 2.91 lakh crore has been incurred upto March, 2025. The
summary is as under:-
Length
Total Length Total Exp
No of Commissioned
Category NL/GC/DL upto Mar'25
Projects till Mar'25
(km) ( in Crore)
(Km)
New Lines 154 16,142 3,036 1,45,318
Gauge
33 4,180 2,997 22,753
Conversion
Doubling /
244 15,644 6,736 1,22,858
Multitracking
Total 431 35,966 12,769 2,90,929
..P/3-:3:-
Zone-wise/year-wise details of all Railway projects are made available
in public domain on Indian Railway’s website.
The details of commissioning/laying of new track across Indian
Railways is given below:-
New track
Period Average commissioning of new tracks
Commissioned
2009-14 7,599 Km 4.2 Km/day
2014-25 34,428 Km 8.57 Km/day ( more than 2 times)
Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which
include the following:
Land acquisition by State Government
Forest clearance
Shifting of infringing utilities
Statutory clearances from various authorities
Geological and topographical conditions of area
Law and order situation in the area of project site
Number of working months in a year for particular project site
etc.
All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s.
******