Calling the Union Budget 2025-26 "amazing", Union Railways and Electronics and IT Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said that with the big allocation to it, Indian Railways is all set to expand faster, safer and comfortable rail travel across the country.
The country can expect "200 new Vande Bharat trains, 100 Amrit Bharat trains, 50 Namo Bharat rapid rail and 17,500 general non-AC coaches in next two to three-years time", the minister said.
Mr Vaishnaw thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for allocating Rs 2,52,000 crore for the financial year (FY) 2025-26 as gross budgetary support to the Ministry of Railways - the second time in a row.
"The new trains and modern coaches will go a long way in serving the low and middle-class people," he added.
This year's Union Budget allocates ₹4,60,000 crore for infrastructure development projects in Indian Railways. Prioritizing safety, ₹1,16,000 crore has been earmarked to enhance railway security through various initiatives.
Speaking to the media after the budget presentation in the Lok Sabha, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated, "The budget not only seeks to create employment by means of investment but gives a big relief to the middle class with reduced income tax burden."
Additionally, the reimbursement of losses incurred in operating strategic railway lines has been set at ₹2,739.18
crore in the Budget Estimates for 2025-26, compared to ₹2,602.81 crore in the Revised Estimates for 2024-25.
This fiscal year, ₹706 crore has been allocated for debt servicing of market borrowings for national railway projects.
As a result, the net revenue expenditure of Indian Railways in the Budget Estimates for 2025-26 stands at ₹3,02,100 crore, compared to ₹2,79,000 crore in the Revised Estimates for the previous fiscal year.
The gross budgetary support for this fiscal is nearly nine times higher than the ₹28,174 crore allocated in 2013-14, highlighting the government’s continued focus on railway development.
Indian Railways is poised to become the second-largest freight carrier globally, with freight volumes expected to reach 1.6 billion tonnes by the end of this fiscal year.
Regarding high-speed rail, India aims to develop a 7,000-km high-speed rail network capable of supporting speeds of up to 250 km/h by 2047.
On the sustainability front, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reaffirmed that Indian Railways will achieve 100% electrification by the end of FY 2025-26, reported NDTV. Additionally, with the Budget’s focus on small modular reactors as a source of non-fossil energy, Indian Railways is set to take the lead in advancing electrification efforts.
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