Indian Railways has announced a Rs 13 lakh crore infrastructure plan involving over 400 projects to be completed by 2032, with the primary goal of raising its freight market share from the current 27 per cent to between 40 and 45 per cent.
The initiative addresses a critical challenge, the steady loss of freight traffic to road transport. By building network capacity, reducing congestion and improving the speed and reliability of cargo movement, the railway ministry aims to make rail a more competitive option for bulk freight.
Railway officials have emphasised that the focus is shifting toward completing existing projects rather than initiating new ones. On high-traffic routes, capacity constraints limit the number of freight trains that can operate simultaneously. New lines, network redundancy and corridor expansions are expected to resolve these bottlenecks while benefiting both freight and passenger services on the mixed-traffic system.
The scale of investment across 400 projects is expected to generate significant demand for construction, steel, cement and engineering services over the coming years, as consistent supply chains and heavy-duty infrastructure development will be required throughout the execution period.
