Parliament Question: Track Renewal

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6207 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026 TRACK RENEWAL †6207. SHRI ASHISH DUBEY: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the total rail route in kilometres identified for renewal across the rail network; (b) the details of the targets set for railway track renewal during the last three years and the year 2024-25, year-wise; (c) the details of route kilometres of rail track actually renewed during the said period; (d) whether the Jabalpur to Damoh rail route is also included in this programme and if so, the details thereof along with the timeline for the completion of the same; and (e) the zone-wise details of the pending works, if any? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (e) Upgradation and renewal of tracks is a continuous and ongoing process. The track renewal is carried out as per the laid down criteria based on age, traffic carried, condition etc. Track Renewal Works are planned and executed duly prioritizing the condition of track and various other factors so as to ensure that track is safe for running of trains at permitted speed. § Page 1 of 3The details of track renewal carried out across the entire railway network including Jabalpur to Damoh route via Katni, during 2014-26 (up to Feb’26) are as under: Track renewed ~ 54600 Km Further, following measures are being taken to upgrade the railway tracks: i. Modern track structure consisting of 60 kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails, Wider and heavier Pre-stressed Concrete Sleepers (PSC) with elastic fastening, fan-shaped layout turnout on PSC sleepers and H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges are being used while carrying out primary track renewals. ii. The Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossings are being used in turnout renewal works. iii. Supply of 260 meter long rail panels have been increased to avoid welding of joints, thereby improving safety. iv. Thick Web Switch Expansion Joints are being used in place of earlier Conventional/Improved SEJs. v. Adoption of better welding technology for rails i.e. Flash Butt Welding. vi. Adoption of mechanized system for track maintenance using high output plain tampers and points & crossing tampers for improved maintainability & reliability of track. vii. Deployment of state-of-the-art modern machines including Rail Grinding Machines to further improve asset reliability. viii. Mechanisation of track laying activities through use of track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc. ix. Use of advanced Phased Array technology of testing of rail and welds. x. Deployment of Integrated Track Monitoring Systems (ITMS) and Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) for comprehensive health assessment to ascertain optimal maintenance requirements. Page 2 of 3xi. Adoption of portable Track Measuring Trolley for continuous recording of track parameters in yards. xii. Using web enabled Track Management System (TMS) for integration and data analytics of the track inspection records received through various sources to enable precise maintenance inputs. As a result of above measures, there has been significant increase in speed potential of the tracks. The details of speed potential of railway tracks during 2014 vis-a-vis 2026 are as under: 2014 2026 (up to Feb’26) Sectional Speed (kmph) % % Track Km Track Km 130 & above 5,036 6.3 23,713 22.4 110 - 130 26,409 33.3 62,036 58.7 < 110 47,897 60.4 19,923 18.9 Total 79,342 100 1,05,672 100 ***** Page 3 of 3