Indian Railways Earns Rs 3.13 Billion via Land Monetisation

01 Aug 2025 CW Team

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.

Of the total railway land bank, only 62,068 hectares remain vacant, with 60 to 70 per cent comprising narrow strips adjacent to tracks—primarily used for operational requirements.

Infrastructure Transport

01 Jun 2026

MMRDA advances 250 m on Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed 250 m of underground tunnelling for the Orange Gate–Marine Drive Urban Road Tunnel using India’s largest slurry shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) deployed for an urban road project.The project involves twin tunnels extending over 7 km beneath critical transport corridors, including Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro Line 3. The work requires high-precision engineering to navigate densely developed urban infrastructure.Once completed, the tunnel is expected to reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marin..

Hindustan Zinc Pays Rs 188.46 Billion in FY26

Hindustan Zinc contributed Rs 188.46 billion to the public exchequer in FY 2025-26, according to its 9th Tax Transparency Report. The contribution, equivalent to 46 per cent of the company’s revenue, included direct and indirect taxes, government royalties, dividends to the Government of India, withholding taxes and other statutory levies.The company’s five-year cumulative contribution to the exchequer stood at Rs 915.72 billion. In FY26, Hindustan Zinc reported revenue of Rs 408.44 billion, EBITDA of Rs 221.62 billion and profit after tax of Rs 138.32 billion. It also achieved its highest..

World of Concrete India 2026 Opens in Mumbai

Informa Markets in India will host the 12th edition of World of Concrete India 2026 from 3–5 June 2026 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The specialised B2B exhibition will bring together manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, developers, architects, consultants, infrastructure companies, project leaders and government stakeholders.The event is expected to feature over 350 brands and more than 18,000 trade professionals. It will cover concrete and cement, dry mortar, precast technologies, formwork, construction chemicals, industrial and commercial flooring, scaffolding, safety solutio..