Indian Railways in 2025: Vande Bharat in Kashmir, Kavach enhanced, over 99% electrification - The milestones
Indian Railways Year-end Review: Government's focused efforts, innovation & indigenisation is helping transform Indian Railways into a world class network. The Railways strengthened its network which resulted in all-Weather regional integration, passenger & freight trains to Kashmir and Mizoram.
New Delhi: The year 2025 was a historic year for Indian Railways. This year Railways took many big decisions related to technology, environment, passenger comfort, safety and network expansion. These steps helped accelerate the railways towards building a modern, digital, inclusive and future-ready transport system.
Vande Bharat and expansion of high-speed trains
In 2025, the Vande Bharat Express network expanded rapidly. Advanced version schemes like Vande Bharat 4.0 have also appeared, which aims to provide more speed and better comfort. The introduction of semi-high-speed trains and the trial of upgraded trainsets promoted faster and better intercity travel. During the Calendar year-2025, 15 Vande Bharat express trains were introduced. The Vande Bharat Sleeper is expected to be launched in 2026.
Big focus on technology and safety
Railways have taken steps to modernise the old train control system this year. The Kavach automatic train protection system was implemented and the task of finishing level crossings without gates was accelerated. Almost complete electrification of the broad gauge network was also a major achievement, which made the operation more clean.
Green Initiative: Hydrogen-powered train
Moving towards green transport, Indian Railways has developed the first hydrogen train made in the country. It was prepared for a trial run, making India one of the countries working on zero-emission trains.
Digital improvements for travelers
In 2025, the passenger reservation system was redesigned and digital platforms like Swarel started. Aadhaar authentication has been made mandatory in Tatkal ticket booking. IRCTC has disabled more than 3 crore suspicious user IDs to prevent fake bookings. Special facilities have also been increased for the elderly, pregnant women, disabled and visually impaired travelers.
Railway network expansion and special trains
The Railway ministry informed that Indian Railways commissioned over 900 kilometres of new track lines during the period April 1 and 30 November 2025. Ever since the Modi government came to power in 2014, a total 34,428 km of new track has been laid across Indian Railways at an average of 8.57 km/day, which is more than twice the average daily commissioning (4.2 km/day) during the period 2009–14.
89 special trains were run in December to handle the crowd of passengers. New superfast trains like Golden City Express were also introduced, which strengthened tourism and economic corridors.
"Indian Railway operated a record number of over 43,000 special train trips during the year 2025. To cater to Festive and Summer rush 17,340 Special Train trips for Maha Kumbh, 1,144 for Holi, 12,417 Summer Specials, and 12,383 for Chhath Puja were operated in 2025,” the Ministry of Railways stated.
During the calendar year-2025, 13 Amrit Bharat Express trains were introduced. At present, a total of 30 Amrit Bharat train services are running across the Indian Railways network.
About 99.2% of the Broad Gauge (BG) network has been electrified. Electrification in the remaining network has been taken up.
Indian Railways Budget and investment
In the Union Budget 2025, a provision of more than Rs 2.7 lakh crore was made for the Railways. In this, special attention was paid to infrastructure, electrification, safety technology and passenger amenities.
Fewer Train accidents
The number of train accidents in 2025 was the lowest in the last 20 years. Only 11 accidents were recorded between April and November. Although there were some major accidents, but overall there was a big improvement in safety.
Freight and modern engines
The freight sector also showed strength. More powerful electric locomotives were added and freight traffic performance was better throughout the year. Overall, 2025 was a year of changes for Indian Railways. Railways have laid a strong foundation for the future on every front in terms of technology, safety, environment and comfort of passengers.
Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link
The 272 km Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) was started in 2025. The project features iconic engineering landmarks, including the world’s highest railway arch bridge ‘Chenab Bridge’. It comprises 36 major tunnels and 943 bridges.
North East Rail Link: Bairabi–Sairang Line
In 2025, Aizawl was connected with Railway network for the first time as the 51 km Bairabi–Sairang broad-gauge line in Mizoram was inaugurated in September 2025.
Another important project, The New Pamban Bridge, was inaugurated on 6 April 2025, is India’s first vertical-lift railway sea bridge.