Railway Budget 2026 likely to restore ticket concessions for seniors
What's the story
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will unveil the Railway Budget 2026 as part of the Union Budget on Sunday. The focus is likely to be on safety improvements, passenger-friendly initiatives, and capacity expansion. Recent accidents have kept rail safety in the spotlight. The budget is also expected to address passenger needs, such as concessions for senior citizens and modern trains.
Passenger benefits
Ticket concessions for senior citizens
One of the biggest expectations from the Railway Budget 2026 is the reintroduction of ticket concessions for senior citizens. The benefit was withdrawn during the COVID-19 pandemic and hasn't been restored since. Earlier, men aged 60 years and above were offered a 40% concession while women aged 58 years and above got a 50% discount on mail, express, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto trains.
Safety measures
Increased focus on rail safety
The Railway Budget 2026 is also expected to focus heavily on safety, with the government likely to increase its allocation. Reports suggest that spending on rail safety could exceed ₹1.3 lakh crore. Meanwhile, the overall railway capex is expected to increase by around 10% to some ₹2.75 lakh crore from ₹2.52 lakh crore in 2025. This increase comes against a backdrop of high-profile derailments highlighting the need for improved safety measures.
Safety technology
Kavach Version 4.0 rollout
On January 30, Indian Railways rolled out 472.3 route kilometers of Kavach Version 4.0 across three sections. The indigenous automatic train protection system is a major step toward improving rail safety. In the Railway Budget 2026, Kavach is likely to receive a major funding boost as the ministry moves closer to finalizing tenders for extending its coverage over an additional 18,000km of track.
Train upgrades
Full-scale production of sleeper Vande Bharat trains
The Railway Budget is also expected to support the full-scale production of 24-coach Vande Bharat Sleeper trains. These would replace the Rajdhani Express on long routes and come with pantry cars as well as advanced safety features. A prototype is likely by late 2026. Additionally, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that around 70% of Indian Railways's trains now have non-AC coaches. The budget could formalize a plan to add 17,000 such general/sleeper coaches over five years.