According to an internal report from the Ministry of Railways, more than 21,800 track kilometers (km) of railway tracks are now ready for semi-high-speed train operations at 130 km/h, meeting the standards of Vande Bharat trains. Additionally, approximately 14,000 km of tracks have been fenced to minimize cattle-related incidents, enabling trains to operate at speeds exceeding 130 km/h.

India’s Railway Expansion and Financial Growth in FY25
India’s 16 Railway zones collectively have a total track length of 1.03 lakh km, with 13 of these zones ready for semi-high-speed operations. Leading the way is the South Central Railway with 3,516 km of semi-high-speed tracks, followed by the Central Railway zone with 3,082 km. Other zones, including North Central and West Central Railways, each have over 2,000 km of tracks suitable for such operations. Additionally, zones like East Central, East Coast, and Western Railways have more than 1,000 km of tracks prepared for semi-high-speed trains. However, North Eastern, Northeast Frontier, and South Western Railways are yet to develop tracks for these operations.
The financial performance of Indian Railways showed positive growth in the first nine months of FY25. Capital expenditure (capex) increased by over 5%, reaching Rs 1.97 lakh crore, up from Rs 1.87 lakh crore the previous year. Railway revenues also grew by around 4%, totalling Rs 1.93 lakh crore. This growth was mainly driven by freight operations, which saw a 4% rise, amounting to Rs 1.25 lakh crore. Passenger earnings also contributed significantly, rising by 8% to reach Rs 41,735 crore. Additionally, freight loading saw a modest 2% increase, adding 24 million tonnes, bringing the total to 1,179 million tonnes compared to the previous year.