Indian Railways Upgrades Speed and Capacity on Key Corridors

07 Apr 2025 CW Team

On the Delhi-Mumbai section (1386 km), the sanctioned project to raise sectional speed to 160 kmph is in an advanced stage. Of the total length, 196 km already has four rail lines, while construction of the 3rd and 4th lines on the Dahanu Road–Virar (64 km) stretch is ongoing. Surveys for adding tracks along the remaining 1126 km have also been sanctioned. Furthermore, 1404 km of the Western DFC has been commissioned, with work underway on the remaining 102 km. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (508 km) remains the only sanctioned high-speed rail project under execution, backed by Japanese assistance.

On the Delhi-Howrah section (1450 km), the project to increase speed to 160 kmph is similarly in an advanced stage. Currently, 194 km of the corridor has four lines, 312 km has three lines, and 944 km is double-tracked. Sanctioned multi-tracking projects include:

Son Nagar–Andal (375 km)
Aligarh–Daud Khan 3rd line (18 km)
Mughalsarai–Allahabad 3rd line (150 km)
Kalipahari–Bakhtarnagar 5th line (18 km)
Saktigarh–Chandanpur 4th line (43 km)
Extension of Nimcha Up Avoiding Line (9.42 km)

Surveys have been approved for an additional 3rd line (480 km), 4th line (96 km), and 5th line (151 km). The Eastern DFC (1337 km) has also been fully commissioned.

To complement these upgrades, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is being implemented to modernise 1337 stations, with a long-term plan focusing on passenger amenities, multimodal integration, environmental sustainability, and city-centre development around stations.

For safety, Indian Railways is modernising its signalling systems with technologies such as electronic interlocking, track circuiting, and the Kavach Automatic Train Protection system.

These updates were shared by Railways Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

(PIB)

Indian Railways is intensifying efforts to enhance speed and capacity along the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors through multi-tracking, Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) expansion, and high-speed upgrades. On the Delhi-Mumbai section (1386 km), the sanctioned project to raise sectional speed to 160 kmph is in an advanced stage. Of the total length, 196 km already has four rail lines, while construction of the 3rd and 4th lines on the Dahanu Road–Virar (64 km) stretch is ongoing. Surveys for adding tracks along the remaining 1126 km have also been sanctioned. Furthermore, 1404 km of the Western DFC has been commissioned, with work underway on the remaining 102 km. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (508 km) remains the only sanctioned high-speed rail project under execution, backed by Japanese assistance. On the Delhi-Howrah section (1450 km), the project to increase speed to 160 kmph is similarly in an advanced stage. Currently, 194 km of the corridor has four lines, 312 km has three lines, and 944 km is double-tracked. Sanctioned multi-tracking projects include: Son Nagar–Andal (375 km) Aligarh–Daud Khan 3rd line (18 km) Mughalsarai–Allahabad 3rd line (150 km) Kalipahari–Bakhtarnagar 5th line (18 km) Saktigarh–Chandanpur 4th line (43 km) Extension of Nimcha Up Avoiding Line (9.42 km) Surveys have been approved for an additional 3rd line (480 km), 4th line (96 km), and 5th line (151 km). The Eastern DFC (1337 km) has also been fully commissioned. To complement these upgrades, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is being implemented to modernise 1337 stations, with a long-term plan focusing on passenger amenities, multimodal integration, environmental sustainability, and city-centre development around stations. For safety, Indian Railways is modernising its signalling systems with technologies such as electronic interlocking, track circuiting, and the Kavach Automatic Train Protection system. These updates were shared by Railways Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. (PIB)

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