Pace of track commissioning more than doubled post-2014: Economic Survey

Sustained investment has accelerated the expansion of the rail network with the pace of track commissioning more than doubling in the post2014 period compared to the previous decade the Economic Survey for 2025ndash26 tabled in Parliament on Thursday saidAccording to the survey Indian Railways commissioned an average of 1499 km of tracks annually between 2004 and 2014 news agency PTI reported This figure rose sharply to 3118 km per year during the 2014ndash2024 periodldquoIndian Railways continues to play a pivotal role in Indiarsquos infrastructure landscape by expanding network capacity modernising assets and strengthening multimodal connectivityrdquo the survey statedIt noted that as of March 2025 the rail network had expanded to 69439 route kilometres Rkm During financial year FY 202526 the network is targeted to grow further by 3500 km Electrification has reached 991 per cent of the network as of October 2025 PTI reportedThe survey said that recent years have been marked by record capital expenditure on railway infrastructure with a strong focus on new lines doubling and multitracking rolling stock augmentation signalling upgrades and safetyrelated works Based on the Budget Estimates for FY 26 capital expenditure has been maintained at historically high levels to enable timebound capacity creationldquoRailways have also emerged as the backbone of Indiarsquos freight and energy logistics supporting coal movement industrial supply chains and containerised traffic through dedicated corridors modern terminals and firstmile connectivity projectsrdquo it said adding that parallel investments in stations signalling telecom and digital systems are improving reliability safety and user experienceEconomic Survey 2026 highlights progress on bullet train freight corridors and rail modernisationHighlighting key infrastructure initiatives such as Economic Railway Corridors under Pradhan Mantri PM GatiShakti the MumbaindashAhmedabad HighSpeed Rail project dedicated freight corridors DFCs station redevelopment and technology and safetyled track upgrades the survey underscored the ongoing transformation of the national transporterldquoIndian Railways is undergoing a transformation driven by sustained capital investment rapid network expansion nearuniversal electrification and a corridorbased approach to capacity creationrdquo it saidOn the bullet train project the survey highlighted that more than 55 per cent physical progress had been achieved as of October 2025 PTI reported Land acquisition has been completed and most civil packages awarded marking a major milestone towards introducing highspeed rail in the countryThe survey also noted that about 2741 km or 964 per cent of the 2843km DFC network had been commissioned as of October 2025While the eastern DFC spanning 1337 km has been fully completed 1404 km of the 1506km western DFC is operationalEconomic Survey 2026 Infrastructure push easing congestion cutting freight time and logistics costsldquoThese corridors are easing congestion on the passenger network significantly reducing freight transit times and contributing to lower logistics costsrdquo it saidPraising the station redevelopment programme the survey stated that 1337 stations have been identified for phased redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme Work has been completed at select stations while progress is underway nationwide to improve capacity accessibility and multimodal integrationIt further highlighted that over 78 per cent of railway tracks have been upgraded to support sectional speeds of 110 kmph kilometre per hour and above PTI reportedldquoContinued focus on dedicated freight corridors economic rail corridors under PM GatiShakti and modern signalling and station infrastructure is improving throughput reliability and multimodal integrationrdquo the survey saidIn its outlook the survey observed that these infrastructureled initiatives will be crucial in reducing logistics costs and strengthening overall connectivityWith PTI inputs