Indian Railways: Transforming Travel with Efficient Budget Utilization

Indian Railways has efficiently utilized 80.54% of its budget for 2025-26, with a focus on safety, capacity, and passenger facilities. With significant progress in modernization and infrastructure, the Ministry aims to achieve its goals, exemplifying a forward-thinking future in rail travel across the nation.

In a pivotal move towards modernizing rail travel, Indian Railways has successfully utilized 80.54% of its Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) allocation for the fiscal year 2025-26 by the end of December, as confirmed by the Ministry of Railways. This marks a noticeable 6.54% increase in GBS utilization when compared to the same period in 2024.

The ministry's statement highlights the strategic allocation of these funds towards enhancing safety measures, boosting capacity, modernizing infrastructure, and improving passenger amenities. Notably, 84% of the funds allocated for safety-related projects have been expended, alongside a 69% utilization in capacity augmentation initiatives.

Under the visible impact of sustained capital investment, major advancements have been achieved, including the inauguration of 164 Vande Bharat and 30 Amrit Bharat train services, near-total electrification across the broad-gauge network, and technological enhancements such as the Kavach automatic train protection system. As Indian Railways continues on its trajectory of innovation and safety, it remains committed to achieving its fiscal goals for 2025-26 and beyond.

(With inputs from agencies.)