Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 15: Indian Railways has achieved a major milestone by electrifying 99.6 per cent of its broad gauge network, while significantly expanding its operational scale and efficiency, the government announced on Wednesday.
The national transporter currently runs around 25,000 trains ????????? and carried an impressive 741 crore passengers during the 2025–26 financial year. Revenue for the same period reached approximately Rs 80,000 crore, with freight movement hitting a record 1,670 million tonnes.
This marks a sharp transformation from 2014, when only about 20 per cent of the network was electrified, resulting in heavy dependence on diesel. As of March 2026, a total of 69,873 route kilometres have been electrified, compared to just 21,801 km in 2014.
The shift to electrification has also yielded significant economic and environmental benefits. In 2024–25 alone, Indian Railways saved nearly 180 crore litres of diesel, reducing crude oil imports and generating savings of around Rs 6,000 crore.
India’s electrification progress now surpasses several major railway systems globally, including those in the United Kingdom, Russia, and China.
On the safety front, the indigenously developed Kavach Automatic Train Protection system has been deployed across more than 3,100 route kilometres, with ongoing implementation on an additional 24,400 km.
Passenger safety and monitoring have been strengthened through the expansion of the Video Surveillance System (VSS) to 1,874 stations, incorporating AI-based analytics and facial recognition technologies.
Additionally, the Integrated Passenger Information System (IPIS), integrated with the National Train Enquiry System (NTES), has been rolled out at 1,405 stations to improve real-time communication and announcements.
Infrastructure upgrades have also been a key focus, with 54,600 kilometres of tracks renewed between 2014 and 2026. The length of tracks supporting speeds above 110 kmph has expanded dramatically from 31,445 km to over 85,000 km.
In passenger services, premium trains continue to see strong demand. The Vande Bharat Express network carried around 3.98 crore passengers in FY 2025–26, with over 9.1 crore passengers transported since its launch. Meanwhile, the Vande Bharat Sleeper service, introduced in January 2026, served 1.21 lakh passengers across 119 trips within its first three months.
To cater to budget-conscious travellers, Indian Railways has also introduced the Amrit Bharat Express — a fully non-AC modern train aimed at improving comfort and safety while remaining affordable. As of March 18, 2026, 60 such services are operational across the network.
These developments underline Indian Railways’ rapid modernization drive, combining technological upgrades, sustainability efforts, and enhanced passenger services to meet growing demand.