Economic survey 2026: Railway infrastructure growth continues, electrification touches 99.1% by October 2025

Indian Railways capital expenditure

Highlighting record capital spending, the survey said railway investments in recent years have focused on new lines, doubling and multi-tracking, rolling stock, signalling and safety works. Major initiatives include Economic Railway Corridors, the bullet train project, Dedicated Freight Corridors, station redevelopment, Kavach systems and track upgrades.

“A defining feature of the recent years has been the record capital expenditure on railway infrastructure, with a focus on new lines, doubling and multi-tracking, rolling stock augmentation, signalling and safety related works.

The Key infrastructure initiatives in the railway sector includes Economic Railway Corridors (Three corridor programs – Energy, Mineral & Cement; Port Connectivity; and High Traffic Density routes), Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, Dedicated Freight Corridors, Station Redevelopment [Amrit Bharat Station Scheme – 1337 stations are being redeveloped], Safety & Technology Upgradation [Kavach – Advance Train protection System], Track upgradation [more than 78 percent of track has been upgraded for sectional speed of 110 kmph and above] and PPPs,” the Economic Survey 2026 statement reads.

Indian Railways utilises over 80% of FY26 capex in first 9 months of FY 2025-26

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Railways said that it has utilised more than 80 per cent of the capital expenditure allocated under the Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) outlay for FY 2025–26 in the first nine months. In a release, the national transporter said it had spent 80.54 per cent, or Rs 2,03,138 crore, of the total GBS outlay of Rs 2,52,200 crore as of the end of December 2025.