Indian Railways has earned Rs 3.13 billion in FY25 from monetising its land for commercial use, marking a 16 per cent rise over the previous year, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Wednesday. Over the past three years, earnings from land usage have grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.5 per cent.

Railways owns approximately 490,000 hectares of land, of which only around 1 per cent—about 4,930 hectares—is currently being utilised for commercial purposes, including parcels managed by its development arm, the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA).

Despite this growth, income from land and other sundry sources such as advertisements makes up just 1.1 per cent of Indian Railways’ total revenue, signalling vast untapped potential. Former East Central Railway General Manager Lalit Chandra Trivedi noted that leveraging even 5 to 10 per cent of the land could significantly boost earnings and operational efficiency, recommending the adoption of global best practices such as Hong Kong’s MTR or Japan’s JR East.

The RLDA has faced criticism for slow execution. While it was tasked with redeveloping 90 stations, only two have been completed. Of the 157 commercial sites assigned, most remain in the planning or early development stage. Coordination challenges with state governments and local bodies are cited as major hurdles, alongside instances of developers cancelling contracts over lease payment disputes.

A 2023 parliamentary committee urged increased private sector involvement, a phased redevelopment strategy, and prioritisation based on passenger footfall and connectivity. Experts have also proposed forming a dedicated railway land monetisation authority with inter-ministerial coordination to expedite development.