Overview
- The Union Budget 2026–27 sets aside Rs 2.78 lakh crore for Indian Railways, with seven high-speed routes such as Mumbai–Pune, Delhi–Varanasi and Hyderabad–Bengaluru to cut intercity travel times.
- Rail electrification now covers 99.6% of the broad-gauge network, which the ministry says saved about 180 crore litres of diesel in 2024–25 and reduced reliance on fuel imports.
- Indian Railways reported 741 crore passengers in 2025–26, around Rs 80,000 crore in revenue, and record freight of 1,670 million tonnes as capacity and services expanded.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted Thursday that accidents fell from 135 in 2014–15 to 16 in 2025–26, crediting a decade of “Safety First” funding and tech upgrades.
- Safety and innovation efforts include the Kavach automatic train protection system on 3,100 route-km with wider rollout underway, AI video surveillance at 1,874 stations, and a hydrogen-train prototype backed by a Jind production plant now in commissioning.