PR No – 52
23rd January, 2025
New Delhi
Indian Railways will become a global leader by 2040 said Dr. K Laxman, Hon’ble Member of Parliament & Member-Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways
“Indian Railways will play a transformative role in spearheading development and making India a $5 trillion economy” said Dr. K Laxman, Hon’ble Member of Parliament & Member-Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways, at the 11th PHDCCI Global Rail Convention held today at PHD House. The Theme of the convention was “Indian Railways – Journey towards Viksit Bharat through Innovation, Infrastructure, Investment & Industry Partnership”.
Stating the achievements of India Railways Dr Laxman mentioned that Indian Railways has achieved 94% electrification. He also highlighted ambitious projects like Mumbai Bullet Trains, 4,000 Vande Bharat trains by 2047, and the allocation of ₹10-12 lakh crore for railway infrastructure in the next five years.
The present government is allocating sizeable budgets for the Railways which has led to the immense growth of Indian Railways, from technology advancement to sustainability and indigenisation, the Indian Railways has progressed commendably.
In the last budget, almost ₹9,000 crore was allocated to Andhra Pradesh and ₹5,000 crore to Telangana. Many railway stations are being developed on par with international airport standards in Hyderabad. For example, in Secunderabad, a railway station is being built with an investment of over ₹750 crore. He also appreciated the work done on Tirupati Railway Station.
The AI-driven smart railway system and the Kavach system to prevent collisions are being implemented, with almost 44,000 km of tracks being laid. All of this will significantly contribute to the PM’s vision of Viksit Bharat. At this pace, almost 3,000 million tons of cargo can be transported by 2040, and Indian Railways will become a global leader in the railway sector/.
Mr Arunendra Kumar, Chair – PHDCCI Railways Committee & Former CRB stated, that Viksit Bharat is a mission in which railways have a defined role. Indian Railways has opened up significantly in the last 10 years and with technology innovation, the new design of Vande Bharat trains, Kashmir connectivity, and hydrogen fuel trains are a recent example of this.
He added, PHDCCI has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the railway sector and is part of the ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ initiative. He emphasized the need for finding ways to ensure passengers get confirmation, increase passenger capacity by 30%, and make railway stations hubs of multimodal connectivity. He added, Railway technology should be world-class, with a strong emphasis on research. For the first time, we do not hear that the government has no funds to invest in railway infrastructure.
Mr Sajal Gupta, Co-Chair, PHDCCI Railways Committee & President Monnet Group highlighted, that the theme of the event is not just a vision but a roadmap to redefining India’s transportation landscape. With a 68,000 km network, Indian Railways moves 1.6 billion tons of trade annually. Modernization of railways is at the heart of this transformation journey and the production of 400 Vande Bharat trains will revolutionize it further. Alongside this, the railway plans to convert 4,000 coaches to Vande Bharat.
He also mentioned the 1,000 km expansion plan over the next two decades and discussed that the deployment of the updated Kavach 4.0 system will significantly reduce accidents caused by human error. He concluded, cybersecurity implementation is another critical area requiring attention. It requires collective effort together, we can ensure that Indian Railways becomes a cornerstone of Viksit Bharat.
Dr. Jaideep Gupta , Addl. Member (RE)Railway Board, Ministry of Railways mentioned that the first electric train ran on February 3, 1995. We are now almost 90% electrified, and in the next 2-3 months, we will achieve 100% electrification. With this, India will become the first country, apart from Switzerland (which is much smaller), to achieve this. He added, by 2030, energy requirements will increase to around 30,000 gigawatts and to achieve the Hon’ble PM’s net-zero carbon emitter goal by 2030, we will require clean power.
However, solar energy is limited to daytime usage, so RTC (Round-The-Clock) storage capacity is crucial. If SMR technology becomes commercially available, it will be a game-changer.
Vijay Pratap Singh, Addl. Member (traction )Railway Board, Ministry of Railways informed that the railways have also drawn a vision for 2047 and have already enhanced infrastructure capex for modernizing railways. He informed, more than ₹2.5 lakh crore is being invested annually to improve capacity and double freight carrying capacity by 2030. Particularly in electrification, we have increased the pace in the last few years. We are now planning to introduce 1,500 locomotives, and we have stopped the production of diesel locomotives, moving towards the greener railways.
We are committed to sustainable development, and significant work is already underway. Our diesel freight costs have reduced from ₹30,000 crore annually to ₹12,000-13,000 crore this year. The transition and benefits of electrification are evident, if the current traffic were handled by diesel, it would cost an additional ₹5,000 crore monthly, added Mr. singh
Mr. Sameer Dikshit, Addl. Member (Telecom), Railway Board, Ministry of Railways appreciated PHDCCI for bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders for the holistic growth of the sector. He informed that Indian Railways, being the lifeline of the nation, has been a unified force and a catalyst for social inclusion. We are at a critical juncture, witnessing a paradigm shift driven by innovation and industry partnerships. Indian Railways has now built a robust ecosystem for innovation.
The adoption of AI and IoT is being implemented on a large scale. The Kavach system is a testament to India’s capability for innovation, and smart mobility solutions are also being adopted, added Mr. Dixit.
Mr. Mukul Saran Mathur, Addl. Member (Comml.), Railway Board, Ministry of Railways discussed how Indian Railways is a flagbearer of innovation and economic development, and the government is using it effectively. Indian Railways has always been an enabler of innovation—be it creating ICF in the 1950s or Concor in the 1980s. It was ahead of its time and pushed the economy forward. In the vision of PM’s Viksit Bharat, I want to highlight that we have always been significant contributors. Enhancing capacity, network size, safety, and passenger connectivity, and taking up big-ticket projects, are some areas where more can be done. We are focusing on regional connectivity projects like Kashmir, the Northeast region, Char Dham. The Namo project is also coming up, and the government is vigorously pushing for passenger convenience. Digitization in freight and passenger services has transformed operations. For example, e-tickets now account for 88% of ticketing. Refund processing has also been reformed—from an average of 40-45 days earlier to 24 hours in 90% of cases and within 6 hours for e-tickets.
The event also witnessed the release of a knowledge report { Prepared by ICMAI & PHDCCI }
Lastly, Concluding Remarks and Vote of Thanks were given by Mr Rishabh Jain, Co Chair PHDCCI Railways Committee & Director Pioneer Group and Mr Ranjan Dhingra, Co-Chair , PHDCCI Railways Committee & Chairman LARAON Group
*END*
Warm Regards,
Media Division, PHDCCI