Ashwini Vaishnaw Announces 7,000 km of Dedicated Passenger Corridors with Speeds up to 350 kmph

At the 16th International Railway Equipment Exhibition (IREE) 2025, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, announced the government’s plan to develop dedicated passenger corridors engineered for maximum speeds of up to 350 kmph and operating speeds of 320 kmph.

He stated that several such high-speed corridors will be constructed across the country as part of the Government’s Viksit Bharat vision, which aims to develop around 7,000 km of dedicated routes by 2047. These corridors will feature indigenously developed signalling systems and modern Operations Control Centres (OCCs) to ensure safety, efficiency, and reliability.

The Union Minister also outlined the vision for Vande Bharat 4.0, Amrit Bharat 4.0, and next-generation railway manufacturing standards, emphasizing India’s commitment to innovation, self-reliance, and world-class railway infrastructure.

Shri Vaishnaw also said that Indian Railways, which serves more than 20 million passengers daily, has now become the world’s second-largest network in freight transport, surpassing the US. He said the bullet train project is progressing rapidly and the Dedicated Freight Corridor work has been 99% completed. Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, more than 1,300 railway stations across the country are being redeveloped.

Indian Railways has constructed several remarkable infrastructure projects, including the Chenab Bridge, 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, India’s first vertical lift Sea Bridge at Pamban, and the Bairabi Sairang bridge, 42 metres taller than Qutub Minar. Priority is being given to safety and technological innovation in railways. For this, a budget of ₹1.16 lakh crore has been allocated for the current financial year, which also includes the indigenous safety system KAVACH.