Executive Summary:
This document, a response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1825, outlines the criteria for sanctioning railway projects in India, the status of railway infrastructure projects as of April 1, 2025, and details regarding the Osmanabad-Beed-Aurangabad rail project. It also provides data on project outlays, commissioning of new tracks, and projects in Maharashtra, addressing project completion timelines and factors affecting them. The Final Location Survey for the Osmanabad-Beed-Aurangabad rail line was sanctioned on February 14, 2025.
Key Points / Main Content:
General Railway Project Information:
* Railway projects are sanctioned based on remunerativeness, traffic projections, connectivity, infrastructure gaps, augmentation of congested lines, demands from various stakeholders, operational requirements, and socio-economic considerations.
* As of April 1, 2025, 431 railway infrastructure projects (154 New Line, 33 Gauge Conversion, and 244 Doubling) totaling 35,966 km and costing approximately ₹6.75 lakh crore are sanctioned.
* Out of these, 12,769 km have been commissioned, with an expenditure of approximately ₹2.91 lakh crore incurred up to March 2025.
* The average annual budget allocation for New Line, Gauge Conversion, and Doubling projects across Indian Railways is ₹11,527 crore/year (2009-14) and ₹68,785 crore (2025-26).
* During FY 2022-23 to 2024-25 and the current FY, 237 projects totaling 9,703 km and costing approximately ₹1,90,333 Crore have been sanctioned. 892 surveys totaling 61,462 km have also been sanctioned.
Osmanabad-Beed-Aurangabad Rail Project:
* The Final Location Survey (FLS) for the new rail line between Osmanabad-Beed-Aurangabad (240 km) was sanctioned on February 14, 2025, for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
* Project sanctioning requires consultation with stakeholders and approvals from NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Finance.
Railway Projects in Maharashtra:
* As of April 1, 2025, 38 projects (11 New Lines, 2 Gauge Conversions, and 25 Doubling) totaling 5,098 km and costing ₹89,780 crore are in the construction stage in Maharashtra.
* Of these, 2360 km have been commissioned, and an expenditure of ₹39,407 crore has been incurred up to March 2025.
* Budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works in Maharashtra has increased from ₹1,171 crore/year (2009-14) to ₹23,778 crore (2025-26).
Factors Affecting Project Completion:
* Project completion depends on land acquisition, forest clearance, shifting utilities, statutory clearances, geological conditions, law and order, and working months.
* Steps for speedy approval and implementation include setting up Gati Shakti units, prioritizing projects, increasing fund allocation, delegating powers, monitoring progress, and following up with State Governments for clearances and issue resolution.
Impact Analysis:
State Governments:
* Impact: Required to facilitate quick land acquisition, forest clearance, and shifting of utilities to enable timely project completion.
* Action Required: Expedite land acquisition, forestry and wildlife clearances, and resolve other project-related issues.
Ministry of Finance and NITI Aayog:
* Impact: Involved in the appraisal and approval of railway projects after the DPR is firmed up.
* Action Required: Provide timely appraisal and approvals for project sanctions.
Railway Authorities:
* Impact: Responsible for the implementation and monitoring of railway projects.
* Action Required: Utilize the steps outlined for speedy project approval and implementation, including setting up Gati Shakti units and close monitoring of project progress.
Citizens of Maharashtra:
* Impact: Will benefit from improved rail infrastructure and connectivity upon project completion.
* Action Required: No direct action required, but may need to stay informed about project developments and potential disruptions during construction.
Key Entities Referenced
Osmanabad-Beed-Aurangabad Rail Project: A railway project connecting Osmanabad, Beed and Aurangabad in Maharashtra, India.
SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW: Minister of Railways, Information Broadcasting and Electronics Information Technology.
Indian Railways: The national railway system of India.
Maharashtra: A state in India where railway projects are underway.
NITI Aayog: A policy think tank of the Government of India.
Ministry of Finance: A ministry within the Government of India.
Central Railway CR: A zone of Indian Railways.
Gati Shakti: An initiative related to infrastructure development, used for speedy approval and implementation of Railway projects
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1825
TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2025
OSMANABAD-BEED-AURANGABAD RAIL PROJECT
†1825. SHRI OMPRAKASH BHUPALSINH ALIAS PAVAN
RAJENIMBALKAR:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the steps taken by the Government to run rail
projects across the country in a robust manner;
(b) the date on which Osmanabad-Beed-Aurangabad rail project
survey was announced by the Union Government;
(c) whether the survey of this route has been
conducted/completed, if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the work of this project has been started, if so, the
current status thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(e) the extent to which the work has been completed so far under
this project;
(f) the time by when the said project is likely to be completed; and
(g) the details of the timeline set by the Government for the
completion of the said project?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (g): Railway projects are sanctioned on the basis of
remunerativeness, traffic projections, last mile connectivity,
..P/2-:2:-
missing links (including infrastructure gaps) and alternate routes,
augmentation of congested/saturated lines, demands raised by
State Governments, Central Ministries, Members of Parliament,
other public representatives, Railway’s own operational
requirement, socio-economic considerations etc. 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, 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:-
Total Length
Total Exp
No of Length Commissioned
Category upto Mar'25
Projects NL/GC/DL till Mar'25
( in Crore)
(km) (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
The Average Annual Budget allocation for New Line, Gauge
Conversion and Doubling Projects across Indian Railways is given
below:
Period Outlay
2009-14 11,527 crore/year
2025-26 68,785 crore (Nearly 6 times)
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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)
During the last three years i.e. FY 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and the
current FY, 237 projects (40 New Line, 17 Gauge Conversion and
180 Doubling) of total length 9,703 Km costing approx. 1,90,333
Crore have been sanctioned across the country. Similarly, during
this period, 892 surveys (267 New Line, 11 Gauge Conversion & 614
Doubling) of total length 61,462 Km have been sanctioned.
Final Location Survey (FLS) for New rail line between Osmanabad-
Beed-Aurangabad (240 km) has been sanctioned on 14.02.2025 for
preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
After firming up of DPR, sanctioning of project requires consultation
with various stake-holders including State Governments and
necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of
Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic
process, exact timelines cannot be fixed.
Railway infrastructure projects falling fully/partly in the State of
Maharashtra are covered under Central Railway (CR), South Central
Railway (SCR), Western Railway (WR), South East Central Railway
(SECR) and South Western Railway (SWR) zones of Indian Railways.
Zone-wise/year-wise details of all Railway projects are made
available in public domain on Indian Railway’s website.
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As on 01.04.2025, 38 projects (11 New Lines, 02 Gauge Conversions
and 25 Doubling), of total length of 5,098 Km, costing 89,780 crore
falling fully/partly in Maharashtra are in construction stage, out of
which 2360 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure
of 39,407 crore has been incurred upto March, 2025. The status of
work is summarized as under:-
Total Length Expenditure upto
No. of
Plan Head Length Commissioned March 2025
projects
(in Km) (in Km) (₹ in Crore)
New Lines 11 1355 234 10504
Gauge
2 609 334 4286
Conversion
Doubling /
25 3134 1792 24617
Multitracking
Total 38 5098 2360 39407
Budget allocation for Infrastructure projects and safety works,
falling fully/ partly in the state of Maharashtra is as under:
Period Outlay
2009-14 1,171 crore/year
23,778 crore (more than 20
2025-26
times)
The details of commissioning/laying of new track falling fully/partly
in the State of Maharashtra during 2009-14 and 2014-25 is as under:-
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New Track Average Commissioning of new
Period
Commissioned tracks
2009-14 292 Km 58.4 Km/year
208.36 km per year (Nearly 4
2014-25 2,292 Km
times)
Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors like
quick land acquisition by State Government, forest clearance by
officials of forest department, shifting of infringing utilities,
statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and
topographical conditions of area, law and order situation in the area
of project/s 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.
Various steps taken by the Government for speedy approval and
implementation of Railway projects include (i) setting up of Gati
Shakti units (ii) prioritisation of projects (iii) substantial increase in
allocation of funds on priority projects (iv) delegation of powers at
field level (v) close monitoring of progress of project at various
levels, and (vi) regular follow up with State Governments and
concerned authorities for expeditious land acquisition, forestry and
Wildlife clearances and for resolving other issues pertaining to
projects. This has led to substantial increase in rate of
commissioning since 2014.
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