News Brief
Indian Railways Set For Major Expansion With 200 Vande Bharat, 100 Amrit Bharat And 50 Namo Bharat Trains
Namo Bharat Trains.
The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated significant resources to the railway sector with the government planning to roll out 200 new Vande Bharat trains with both sleeper and chair car configurations.
Further, the government aims to introduce 100 Amrit Bharat and 50 Namo Bharat train sets, while also undertaking multiple infrastructure and development projects.
The budget also includes funding for the production of 17,500 general coaches over the next few years.
Additionally, a total of Rs 4.64 lakh crore has been earmarked for new railway projects.
Speaking to the media, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called the budget “amazing,” and highlighted the substantial financial allocation aimed at transforming railway infrastructure and operations.
He noted, “200 new Vande Bharat trains, 100 Amrit Bharat trains, 50 Namo Bharat rapid rail, and 17,500 general non-AC coaches will revolutionise travel experiences for the masses in the next 2-3 years".
The minister added that Indian Railways is set to expand more rapidly and safely.
For the financial year 2025-26, the government has committed Rs 2.52 lakh crore in gross budgetary support to the Ministry of Railways, maintaining a high level of investment for the second straight year.
The Railway Minister further that the 2025-26 budget reaffirms the government’s focus on improving Railways by approving projects in manufacturing and infrastructure.
He stated that Rs 4.6 lakh crore has been sanctioned for new projects over the next four to five years, covering new track construction, track doubling, station redevelopment, flyovers, underpasses and more.
The Amrit Bharat trains will boost connectivity between short-distance city routes.
On the production front, Vaishnaw said that the manufacturing of general coaches is already in progress, with 1,400 units expected to be completed by 31 March.
The target for FY 2025-26 is to manufacture 2,000 general coaches.
Indian Railways also aims to achieve a major milestone by 31 March by targeting the transportation of 1.6 billion tonnes of cargo. This would position India as the world’s second-largest cargo carrier, trailing only China.
