New Delhi: Sustained investments have enabled faster rail network expansion, with track commissioning rates more than doubling in the post-2014 period compared to the previous decade, the Economic Survey for the financial year 2025–26, tabled in the Parliament on Thursday, said.
According to the Survey, the average commissioning of railway tracks per year between 2004 and 2014 was 1,499 km, which increased to 3,118 km between 2014 and 2024. “Indian Railways continue to play a pivotal role in India’s infrastructure landscape by expanding network capacity, modernising assets and strengthening multimodal connectivity,” the Survey said.
It added: “As of March 2025, the rail network has expanded to 69,439 Rkm (Route Kilometer). During FY26, it is targeted to extend the network further by 3,500 km. Electrification has reached 99.1 per cent of the network by October 2025.”
The Survey stated that a defining feature of recent years has been record capital expenditure on railway infrastructure, with a focus on new lines, doubling and multi-tracking, rolling stock augmentation, signalling, and safety-related works. Based on the Budget Estimates for FY26, it was observed that capital expenditure has been maintained at historically high levels to accelerate capacity creation. “Railways have also emerged as a backbone of India’s freight and energy logistics, supporting coal movement, industrial supply chains, and containerised traffic through dedicated corridors, modern terminals, and first-mile connectivity projects,” the Survey said.
“Parallel investments in stations, signalling, telecom and digital systems are improving network reliability, safety, and user experience,” it added.