Railway Modernisation Schemes and Policies

Indian Railways operates as the world’s fourth-largest rail network by track length, serving as a primary driver of national economic growth, freight logistics, and passenger movement. Over recent years, the Ministry of Railways has shifted focus from incremental capacity additions to structural modernisation. This policy transition addresses historical challenges like line congestion, low average speeds, under-investment, safety concerns, and high logistics costs. The current framework prioritizes indigenous technological development, complete network electrification, track upgrading, modern rolling stock, digital safety mechanisms, and the conversion of traditional stations into multimodal urban centers.

Structural Policies and Long-Term Frameworks

National Rail Plan (NRP) 2030

The National Rail Plan creates a long-term strategic framework to build infrastructure capacity ahead of demand by 2030, catering to projected traffic needs up to 2050. A major objective is raising the modal share of railways in freight transportation from 27% to 45% by 2030, significantly reducing overall supply chain logistics costs. Key operational strategies under NRP include increasing the average speed of freight trains from 22 km/h to 50 km/h, achieving complete electrification across broad gauge routes, and upgrading line capacity on high-density corridors.

Vision 2024

Forming a sub-component of the National Rail Plan, Vision 2024 targets accelerated completion of critical infrastructure projects. Focus areas include quadrupling and doubling congested routes, upgrading track speeds to 160 km/h on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah trunk routes, raising speeds to 130 km/h across all Golden Quadrilateral and Golden Diagonal routes, and eliminating all manned level crossings on key corridors.

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan

Launched to drive integrated infrastructure planning, PM Gati Shakti unifies 16 ministries, including Railways, under a common GIS-based digital platform. It aims to break inter-departmental silos, streamline right-of-way approvals, and synchronize rail access to industrial clusters, ports, coal mines, and agricultural hubs for seamless multimodal transport.

Safety and Technological Innovations

Kavach (Automatic Train Protection System)

Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with Indian industry.

• Mechanism: Operates on ultra-high radio frequencies using On-Board Computers, RFID tags fitted on tracks, and station units to monitor train movement.
• Function: Automatically applies brakes if the driver fails to control speed according to signal aspects, preventing Signal Passed At Danger (SPAD) incidents and head-on or rear-end collisions.
• Features: Provides continuous updates inside the locomotive cab, supports auto-whistling near level crossings, and functions under adverse weather conditions like dense fog.

Mission Raftar

Mission Raftar targets doubling the average speed of freight trains (to 50 km/h) and accelerating passenger trains (express/mail) by an average of 25 km/h. Implementation involves track strengthening, removing permanent speed restrictions, converting traditional ICF coaches to LHB coaches, replacing conventional locomotives with MEMU/DEMU trains on suburban routes, and deploying high-horsepower Electric Locomotives (such as 12,000 HP WAG-12B engines).

RailTech Policy

Introduced to promote innovation, the RailTech Policy provides a structured mechanism to onboard startups, MSMEs, and research institutes into the railway operational ecosystem. It incentivizes local manufacturing, prototyping, and field deployment of indigenous railway software, safety equipment, track maintenance machinery, and sensors.

Station Redevelopment and Passenger Amenities

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS)

Launched by the Ministry of Railways in December 2022, ABSS adopts a continuous, long-term master planning approach to redevelop 1,337 identified railway stations across India.

• City Centre Integration: Re-imagines stations as urban centers connecting both sides of a city, featuring roof plazas, segregated arrival/departure zones, and seamless access to buses, metros, and taxis.
• Regional Architecture: Station building facades reflect local architectural design, heritage, and culture (e.g., Jaipur station styled after Hawa Mahal and Amer Fort).
• Amenities: Focuses on ballastless tracks on platform lines, standard executive lounges, widened foot over bridges (FOBs), escalators, lifts, and Divyangjan-friendly infrastructure.
• Local Enterprise Promotion: Incorporates dedicated stalls under the ‘One Station One Product’ (OSOP) scheme to promote local artisans and indigenous products.

Modern Rolling Stock Deployment

• Vande Bharat Express: Indigenous Semi-High-Speed trainsets utilizing distributed traction power technology, allowing faster acceleration and deceleration, equipped with KAVACH protection and automated doors.
• Amrit Bharat Express: Non-AC push-pull trainsets designed for long-distance travel, featuring locomotives at both ends for higher operational speeds, sealed gangways, and modern passenger seats.
• Namo Bharat (RRTS): High-speed regional commuter trains designed for inter-city travel within regional corridors (e.g., Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut line) operated under the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

Freight Infrastructure and Sustainability

Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs)

Managed by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), these high-capacity, high-speed freight corridors segregate heavy freight transport from passenger networks.

Environmental Sustainability Initiatives

• Mission 100% Electrification: Complete electrification of broad-gauge routes, lowering dependency on imported diesel fuel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Net-Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030: Planned installation of land-based solar power plants along vacant railway land tracks and rooftops to power traction networks directly.
• Bio-Toilets and Green Stations: Widespread deployment of bio-toilets across coaches and certification of major stations under the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) guidelines.

Important Facts for Quick Revision

• Indian Railways operates the world’s 4th largest rail network, covering over 67,000 km of route length.
• Bholu, an elephant dressed as a railway guard, serves as the official mascot of Indian Railways.
• The first passenger train ran on April 16, 1853, covering 34 km between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane.
• Indian Railways owns four UNESCO World Heritage sites: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Kalka-Shimla Railway, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai).
• The Chenab Rail Bridge in Jammu & Kashmir stands as the world’s highest arch railway bridge.
• Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Hubballi Junction (Karnataka) holds the record for the world’s longest railway platform at 1,505 meters.
• The Vivek Express (Kanyakumari to Dibrugarh) covers the longest train route in India, spanning 4,189 kilometers.
• National Rail Plan targets raising the freight modal share of railways from 27% to 45% by 2030.
• The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme aims to redevelop 1,337 identified railway stations across India as integrated city centers.
• WAG-12B is a 12,000 HP electric locomotive developed indigenously in Madhepura, Bihar, under a Joint Venture with Alstom.