Indian Railways

Use of Smart technologies for a green & efficient transport system

By 2030, Indian Railways (IR) hopes to have a rail system prepared for the future through several initiatives. The plans include the following:

• Building capacity in advance of demand.

• Operating freight trains at 50 km/h average speed.

• Electrifying the whole railway system by 2024.

• Increasing the speed of passenger trains to 130 km/h on a few lines.

The goal is to improve efficiency, sustainability, and modernity to create a more affordable, secure, and reliable means of transportation for the public, whether in the passenger or freight segment.

Some of the major policy initiatives and key developments in recent years: 

· The budgetary allotment increased by 27.54%: The Ministry of Railways (MOR) has been allocated Rs 1,403.67 billion (budget estimates) as part of the Union Budget 2022–23. The allocation is 27.54 per cent more than the budget projection for 2021–22 (Rs. 1,100.55 billion) and 16.92 per cent more than the amended estimate (Rs. 1,200.56 billion). Additionally, it is predicted that the operational ratio will reach 96.2% in 2021–22. This is slightly better than the operating ratio for 2019–20, which was 98.4 per cent.

· Loading of freight rose by 15%: IR successfully loaded freight goods totalling 1,416 million tonnes (mt) in 2021–2022—a 15% increase over the loading the same time the previous year (1,231 mt). As a result, this financial year’s IR load is the highest ever. The goal for loading freight between 2022 and 2023 is 1,475 mt.