Additions to Railway & Highway lengths modestly lower, rolling stocks output up: Economic Survey

Economic Survey shows that in case of road transport, the construction of national highways has also reduced.

Noting that the government has placed infrastructure development at the centre stage of its fiscal and public policy agenda, the Economic Survey 2024-25 stated that the addition to the length of highways, roads and railway lines has been modestly lower in comparison to the last financial year.

It also said that the addition to the rolling stock of railways, port handling capacity and power and transformation capacity improved during FY25 so far on a year-on-year basis. According to the report, a total of 2,031 km of railway network was commissioned in current FY25 during April to November. A total of 2,282 km of rail network was commissioned in FY24 during the same period, which is 251 km higher.

However, the addition of rolling stocks such as wagons, coaches and locomotives have increased considerably. The Survey shows that the production of wagons increased to 26,146 in FY25 (April-November) from a total of 22,042 wagons produced in FY24 (Apr-Nov). Similarly, 1,042 locomotives were produced in FY25 in comparison to 968 locomotives produced during the same period in last financial year.

“Between April and October 2024, 17 new pairs of Vande Bharat trains were introduced to the network, and 228 coaches were produced,” reads the report.

While the report also shows that the passenger traffic in Indian Railways has increased by 8 percent over the previous year, it is still short of pre-Covid-19 level (FY20) when Railways’ total passenger traffic was over 800 crore.

Similarly, in case of road transport, the construction of national highways (NH) have reduced. A total of 5,853 km of NH were constructed during April to December in FY25, as against 6,215 km of NH constructed in FY24 during the same period. Officials said that the target of the construction of NHs in the current financial year, i.e till March 2025, is 10,421 km.

India has a total road network of 63.4 lakh km, including National highway (NH) network of 146,195 km. “NH network forms the arterial backbone of road transport network as even though it comprises only 2 per cent of total road network yet it carries about 40 per cent of the overall road freight traffic,” reads the Economic Survey 2024-25.

The report also notes that the length of 4-lane & above NH, excluding High-Speed Corridors, have increased approximately 2.5 times, from about 18,300 km to 45,900 km between 2014 and 2024.

The economic survey also listed out some of the major projects of Indian Railways and Road Transport. According to the report, As of October 2024, Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project- India’s Bullet Train project-has achieved 47.17 per cent physical progress with an expenditure of Rs. 67,486 crore. It was sanctioned in December 2015. The 508 km project, supported by Japan, has a revised cost of Rs. 1.08 lakh crore.

Similarly, Bharatmala Project, which was launched in October 2017 and aims to develop 34,800 km of National Highways, has achieved around 76 percent completion with the construction of 18,926 km of NH.

“India needs a continued step-up of infrastructure investment over the next two decades to sustain a high rate of growth. Requirements are aplenty…Public sector efforts cannot fully meet these requirements. There are binding budget constraints to the different tiers of government. Private participation should accelerate in many critical infrastructure sectors,” reads the survey.

Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with the Business Bureau of The Indian Express. He plays a critical role in covering India's massive infrastructure sectors, providing in-depth reporting on the connectivity lifelines of the nation. Expertise & Focus Areas: Mishra’s journalism is focused on two of the country's most capital-intensive and public-facing ministries: Ministry of Railways: Tracking the operations, safety, and development of India's vast railway network. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: Covering policy decisions, infrastructure projects, and highway development. What sets Mishra apart is his rigorous use of the Right to Information (RTI) Actas a primary tool for news gathering. By relying on official data and government records, he ensures a high degree of accuracy and trustworthiness in his reporting. This data-driven approach has resulted in numerous impactful reports that hold public institutions accountable and bring transparency to government operations. Find all stories by Dheeraj Mishra here ... Read More

Noting that the government has placed infrastructure development at the centre stage of its fiscal and public policy agenda, the Economic Survey 2024-25 stated that the addition to the length of highways, roads and railway lines has been modestly lower in comparison to the last financial year.

It also said that the addition to the rolling stock of railways, port handling capacity and power and transformation capacity improved during FY25 so far on a year-on-year basis. According to the report, a total of 2,031 km of railway network was commissioned in current FY25 during April to November. A total of 2,282 km of rail network was commissioned in FY24 during the same period, which is 251 km higher.

However, the addition of rolling stocks such as wagons, coaches and locomotives have increased considerably. The Survey shows that the production of wagons increased to 26,146 in FY25 (April-November) from a total of 22,042 wagons produced in FY24 (Apr-Nov). Similarly, 1,042 locomotives were produced in FY25 in comparison to 968 locomotives produced during the same period in last financial year.

“Between April and October 2024, 17 new pairs of Vande Bharat trains were introduced to the network, and 228 coaches were produced,” reads the report.

While the report also shows that the passenger traffic in Indian Railways has increased by 8 percent over the previous year, it is still short of pre-Covid-19 level (FY20) when Railways’ total passenger traffic was over 800 crore.

Similarly, in case of road transport, the construction of national highways (NH) have reduced. A total of 5,853 km of NH were constructed during April to December in FY25, as against 6,215 km of NH constructed in FY24 during the same period. Officials said that the target of the construction of NHs in the current financial year, i.e till March 2025, is 10,421 km.

India has a total road network of 63.4 lakh km, including National highway (NH) network of 146,195 km. “NH network forms the arterial backbone of road transport network as even though it comprises only 2 per cent of total road network yet it carries about 40 per cent of the overall road freight traffic,” reads the Economic Survey 2024-25.

The report also notes that the length of 4-lane & above NH, excluding High-Speed Corridors, have increased approximately 2.5 times, from about 18,300 km to 45,900 km between 2014 and 2024.

The economic survey also listed out some of the major projects of Indian Railways and Road Transport. According to the report, As of October 2024, Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project- India’s Bullet Train project-has achieved 47.17 per cent physical progress with an expenditure of Rs. 67,486 crore. It was sanctioned in December 2015. The 508 km project, supported by Japan, has a revised cost of Rs. 1.08 lakh crore.

Similarly, Bharatmala Project, which was launched in October 2017 and aims to develop 34,800 km of National Highways, has achieved around 76 percent completion with the construction of 18,926 km of NH.

“India needs a continued step-up of infrastructure investment over the next two decades to sustain a high rate of growth. Requirements are aplenty…Public sector efforts cannot fully meet these requirements. There are binding budget constraints to the different tiers of government. Private participation should accelerate in many critical infrastructure sectors,” reads the survey.