Indian Railways to fast-track modernisation with 800 semi-high-speed Vande Bharat train sets by 2030

The Indian Railways will operate as a carbon-neutral and thoroughly modernised mode of transport by the end of the decade, a senior government minister has said.

“The Railways will be net zero by 2030 and will be introducing more and more semi-high speed [Vande Bharat] trains by 2030,” minister for power & new and renewable energy Raj Kumar Singh said at a government briefing on the future readiness of the country’s infrastructure projects Friday.

Launched in February 2019, 25 train sets of the indigenously developed semi-high-speed Vande Bharat are currently operating 50 services on various routes of the world’s fight-largest rail network. The Railways has targeted to roll out 75 train sets or 150 services in the current fiscal. It also intends to have more than 800 train sets operational by 2030.

Calling the train, a significant achievement, Singh rhetorically asked, “Did you ever see the speed at which Vande Bharat has got rolled out in the past?”

Singh also said that the highest ever capex of Rs 2,03,983 crore was achieved in 2022-23, as compared to Rs 53,989 crore in 2013-14, which amounted to a four-fold growth. The Railways’ capex has increased from Rs 53,989 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 2,60,200 crore in 2023-24, which was the highest by far.

Similarly, gross budgetary support to the Railways for capex has increased from Rs 28,174 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 2,40,000 crore in 2023-24, which is more than eight times.

The yearly average capex during 2014-23 was Rs 1,32,781 crore – cumulative Rs 11,95,031 crore – which was three times the average yearly capex of Rs 45,980 from 2009-14.

Answering a question on production delays at the Railways’ premier Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, executive director Gatishakti at the Ministry of Railways, Anil Kumar Khandelwal said the issue was being addressed.

“We are working at double the speed at all the places. Of these, 100 services with 25 train sets have already started and we are very confident of manufacturing and running 100 more services with 50 train sets. It will, therefore, become 150 services with 75 train sets,” stated Khandelwal.

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