OUTLOOK

Identifying Transit and the Railway infrastructure development as a critical enabler to the Indian economy, the Indian Government has recently initiated a number of investment and policy initiatives such as:

• In the 2024-25 Indian Government budget, the Indian Railways received a record allocation of US$ 32.32 Billion for capital expenditure. This represents a significant increase aimed at modernizing and expanding the railway infrastructure.
  

•  India currently operates 945 kilometres of metro lines, with an additional 1,000 kilometres under construction, set to be completed soon. As India continues to invest in and expand its metro network, it is poised to become a global leader in urban transit systems. The Indian Ministry has predicted that Indian Metro network is set to become the second largest in the world, surpassing that of the United States within the next two to three years.
  

• The Indian Railways with its ambitious target plans, is aiming to deploy around 250 Semi High Speed Sleeper Coach Trains (named Vande Bharat) by 2029. The Indian Railways has initiated the process for exporting Semi High Speed Sleeper Coach Trains. The nation could witness its inaugural export within the next five years. The Indian Railways vision extends beyond bullet trains, with plans to operationalise 4,500 Semi High Speed Sleeper Coach Trains by 2047.

• The Indian Government has plans to expand the Metro network in different cities and is looking for more external participation for such projects. It has allocated US$ 3.0 billion in 2024-25 for the expansion of Metro train projects in the country with plans to have Metro rails in 28 more cities covering 1,000 kilometres.

• The Indian Railways intends to launch 50 Hydrogen Trains by 2047.