Indian Railways: 164 Vande Bharats, new bridges boost 2025 growth
What's the story
In 2025, Indian Railways made significant strides in expanding its network and improving services. The year saw the commissioning of the Bairabi-Sairang line, a crucial 51.38 km broad-gauge railway inaugurated in September, which brought rail connectivity to Mizoram. This was a major step toward connecting remote and strategically important areas in India's Northeast with the national rail network.
Project launch
42 new projects launched, Vande Bharat services expanded
The Ministry of Railways also launched 42 new projects worth over ₹25,000 crore this year. Among these were the introduction of 15 new Vande Bharat trains, taking the total number to 164 across the country. The ministry's year-end review also highlighted that 13 Amrit Bharat trains were added this year, bringing their total to 30.
Service expansion
New rail services and infrastructure developments
The year also saw the launch of two Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services in Gujarat and Bihar. The railway ministry plans to introduce the first Vande Bharat Sleeper for AC class travelers soon. Infrastructure development was a major focus this year, with over 900km of new railway lines commissioned between April and November. Safety indicators improved significantly with only 11 train accidents reported till November compared to last year's 31.
Infrastructure upgrade
Station modernization and rolling stock manufacturing increase
To improve safety and traffic flow, various railway zones constructed 1,161 Road-Over-Bridges and Road-Under-Bridges. The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme saw 1,337 stations modernized with upgraded passenger facilities like modern concourses, improved waiting areas, escalators, and lifts. Manufacturing of rolling stock also increased, with over 4,224 Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coaches produced during the year till November, a rise of 18% over last year's figures for the same period.
Project progress
High-speed rail project progresses, new app launched
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project achieved 55.63% physical progress by November-end. The RailOne App was launched as a one-stop passenger service solution on Android and iOS platforms. Another initiative was Aadhaar-Authenticated Reservation Reforms, allowing only Aadhaar-authenticated users to book general reserved tickets during the first 15 minutes of reservation opening on IRCTC platforms.
Freight boost
Dedicated freight corridors operationalized, wagon production increased
Freight operations were also boosted with the commissioning of two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC)—Eastern DFC from Ludhiana to Sonnagar and Western DFC from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal to Dadri. Wagon manufacturing was ramped up to meet a target of 3,000 million tons of loading by 2029-30. This led to record wagon production numbers touching 41,929 in 2024-25, the highest in three years.