Lok Sabha Question No. 636 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-23
Subject: Critical Infrastructure Gap Projects
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. D. Purandeswari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 636 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.07.2025

## CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE GAP PROJECTS

636.  DR. D. PURANDESWARI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the 25 critical infrastructure gap  projects identified  in  the  2025-26  Budget,  their  scope,  key  objectives and expected outcomes across India;
- (b) the details of the current progress of the sanctioned projects, total  budget  allocations  and  the  manner  in  which  funds  have been  utilized  for  implementation  and  development  of  these projects;
- (c) the details of timelines for completion along with details of the key projects in underserved or strategic areas such as remote regions or border areas out of these sanctioned projects;
- (d) the details of current status of pending projects under approval, including their expected timeline for sanctioning and commencement,  with  a  focus  on  regions  with  infrastructure deficiencies; and
- (e) the details of the long-term plans of the Government to bridge the remaining infrastructure gaps and ensure completion within the stipulated timeframes?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (e): Railway projects are sanctioned on the basis of remunerativeness,    traffic    projections,   last   mile    connectivity,

missing  links  (including  infrastructure  gaps)  and  alternate  routes, augmentation  of  congested/saturated  lines,  demands  raised  by State  Governments,  Central  Ministries,  Members  of  Parliament, other public representatives, Railway's own operational requirement,  socio-economic  considerations  etc.  depending  upon throwforward of ongoing projects and overall availability of funds.

During the last three years i.e. FY 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and the current  FY,  237  projects  (40  New  Line,  17  Gauge  Conversion  and 180 Doubling) of total   length 9,703 Km costing approx. 1,90,333 Crore  have  been  sanctioned  across  Indian  Railways.  Furthermore, during this period 892 surveys (267 New Line, 11 Gauge Conversion & 614 Doubling) of total length 61,462 Km have been sanctioned.

After  firming  up  of  Detailed  Project  Report,  sanctioning  of  project requires  consultation  with  various  stake-holders  including  State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed.

As on 01.04.2025, across Indian Railways, 431 Railway infrastructure projects (154 New Line, 33 Gauge Conversion and 244 Doubling) of total length 35,966 Km, costing approx.  6.75 lakh crore are sanctioned, out of which, 12,769  Km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of approx. 2.91  lakh  crore  has been incurred upto March, 2025. The summary is as under:-

| Category                 |   No of Projects | Total Length NL/GC/DL (km)   | Length Commissioned till Mar'25 (Km)   | Total Exp upto Mar'25 ( in Cr)   |
|--------------------------|------------------|------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| New Lines                |              154 | 16,142                       | 3,036                                  | 1,45,318                         |
| Gauge Conversion         |               33 | 4,180                        | 2,997                                  | 22,753                           |
| Doubling / Multitracking |              244 | 15,644                       | 6,736                                  | 1,22,858                         |
| Total                    |              431 | 35,966                       | 12,769                                 | 2,90,929                         |

Zone-wise/year-wise details of all Railway projects are  made available in public domain on Indian Railway's website.

The Average Annual Budget allocation for New  Line, Gauge Conversion  and  Doubling  Projects  across  Indian  Railways  is  given below:

| Period   | Outlay                        |
|----------|-------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | 11,527 crore/year             |
| 2025-26  | 68,785 crore (Nearly 6 times) |

The  details  of  commissioning  /  laying  of  new  track  across  Indian Railways is given below:-

| Period   | New track Commissioned   | Average commissioning of new tracks   |
|----------|--------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | 7,599 Km                 | 4.2 Km/day                            |
| 2014-25  | 34,428 Km                | 8.57 Km/day ( more than 2 times)      |

Completion  of  Railway  project/s  depends  on  various  factors  like quick  land  acquisition  by  State  Government,  forest  clearance  by officials of forest department, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of area, law and order situation in the area of project/s site, number of working months in a year for particular project  site  etc.  All  these  factors  affect  the  completion  time  and cost of the project/s.

Various  steps  taken  by  the  Government  for  speedy  approval  and implementation  of  Railway  projects  include  (i)  setting  up  of  Gati Shakti units (ii) prioritisation of projects (iii) substantial increase in allocation of funds on priority projects (iv) delegation of powers at field level (v) close  monitoring  of  progress  of project at various levels,  and  (vi)  regular  follow  up  with  State  Governments  and concerned authorities for expeditious land acquisition, forestry and Wildlife  clearances  and  for  resolving  other  issues  pertaining  to projects. This has led to substantial increase in rate of commissioning since 2014.

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