Indian Railways is committed to providing affordable travel options by expanding non-AC general and sleeper capacities, offering an average concession of around 45% per passenger to maintain low fares. The Ministry of Railways revealed that approximately 70% of coaches are general and sleeper class, with plans to add about 1,250 coaches in 2024–25 and around 860 coaches in 2025–26.
To support passengers, Indian Railways grants a subsidy of about Rs 60,000 crore annually, with an additional Rs 3,000 crore subsidy allocated for suburban sections like Mumbai. Notably, freight loading has surged from 1,055 million tonnes in 2013–14 to approximately 1,650 million tonnes, positioning Indian Railways as the world’s second-largest freight carrier, as stated by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Vaishnaw highlighted the significant progress in electrification, covering nearly 47,000 km of tracks, with over 99% of the network now electrified. Moreover, there has been a substantial acceleration in track construction, with about 35,000 km of new tracks laid compared to the previous period’s 15,000 km.
Safety infrastructure has also seen improvements, with the number of Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) increasing from around 4,000 to about 14,000. Automatic signaling has expanded from about 1,500 km to over 4,000 km, emphasizing Indian Railways’ commitment to safety.
