Indian Railways has been unveiling one engineering marvel after another with stunning regularity. The saga began with the new Pamban Bridge which was inaugurated on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navmi on April 6, 2025, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This new bridge replaces the historic 1914 Pamban Bridge and serves as India's first vertical-lift sea bridge, connecting Rameswaram island to the Indian mainland. Very soon, thereafter, followed the long awaited all-weather rail access to Kashmir, linking the Valley with the rest of India.
The Katra–Srinagar journey offers a double delight: nature at its most majestic—rivers, waterfalls, mountain peaks bathed in sunrise and sunset—and human ingenuity at its finest, with world-class tunnels and bridges straddling the Himalayas. The 110-km Katra–Banihal stretch is an engineering masterpiece, 93% of it carved through tunnels, rest on bridges - anchored by the iconic Chenab Bridge and the Anji Bridge—both global benchmarks in broad-gauge railway construction.
Expanding Rail Connectivity in the Northeast
And in the far East, yet another frontier has been crossed. The Bairabi–Sairang line (55.36 km) has brought Mizoram’s capital, Aizawl, closer than ever. To add to the infrastructure show, PM Modi recently announced in Manipur that Imphal will soon join the national rail network. “Rail connectivity in Manipur has been expanding during our government’s tenure. The Jiribam–Imphal railway line will soon connect the capital city to the national rail grid. The government is investing ₹22,000 crores in this project,” he declared at Churachandpur. The last rail links—Khongsang–Noney (18.25 km) and Noney–Imphal (37.02 km)—are under execution. This route, with 45 tunnels and the world’s tallest pier bridge (141 metres) over the Ijei river, is poised to transform the region’s economy, boosting exports of agri-horti products and igniting tourism. More importantly, it will plug India into the southern corridor of the Trans-Asian Railway, connecting Yunnan in China and Thailand to Europe via Turkey—positioning India as a crucial overland hub for container traffic across Asia and beyond.
Then came a breathtaking operational feat. On August 7, Indian Railways ran Rudrastra—a freight colossus stretching 4.5 km, powered by 7 locomotives and hauling 354 wagons totalling 8,700 tonnes. This behemoth traversed 400 km from Jharkhand’s coalfields to Tori. So far, Indian freight trains use double locos for augmenting horse power. Here, three such double-headed trains were coupled: two engines upfront, one at the tail, and four interspersed along the formation. To picture its enormity—if the engine was at Hazrat Nizamuddin, the last vehicle would be at Tilak Bridge railway station!
But length brings peril. When the train gets more than two locos the operational dynamics undergoes a sea-change. New challenges emerge—the foremost is coordination between the train crews and remote controlling of rear locomotives, signalling between Loco Pilot, Guard, Gatemen and the Station Master, braking distances and the brake recharging timings. If there is gradient on the way, which is quite likely, then the risks shoot up as one portion of the train will be in a downward pull mode and the other could be in acceleration mode. The chances of train uncoupling rise substantially. The issue becomes a little more complex when it is night time or the train encounters an incident on way like a cattle run over, poor visibility or a technical fault in the wagon behind or even in any of the locomotive. The Loco Pilot’s skill is tested to the extreme, especially with passenger and other freight trains sharing the same tracks. As there was no test track for such a trial, it was all hands innovation on display. That was the only way Deen Dayal Upadhyay division and Dhanbad division of East Central Railway could achieve this significant milestone.
Vande Bharat: The Next Evolution in Rail Travel
These achievements are symbol of a silent revolution taking shape on the Indian Railways under PM Modi’s leadership. They showcase true Make in India grit—Indian brains and Indian resolve. And the momentum is only accelerating. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that sleeper versions of the Vande Bharat trains are ready for rollout in October. These will be the next game-changer, cutting not only journey times drastically on trunk routes like Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Kolkata but also providing a new world class travel experience
And remember—the year isn’t over yet.
(Arunendra Kumar is Former Chairman, Railway Board - Indian Railways.)
Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
