New Delhi, March 11: The Indian Railways renewed 54,600 km of tracks during the 2014–2026 period to ensure safe train operations, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
Over 80 per cent of the rail network is now capable of sectional speeds of 110 kmph or more – up from 40 per cent in 2014.
Tracks achieving 130 kmph and above saw a 3.5-fold increase – from 6.3 per cent to 22.4 per cent during the same period.
"Upgrading and renewing tracks is a continuous and ongoing process. Track renewal is carried out according to the established criteria based on age, traffic, condition, etc.," said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
"Track renewal works are planned and executed, prioritizing the condition of the track and various other factors, to ensure that the track is safe for train operation at permitted speeds," the minister informed.
The tracks on Indian Railways are regularly inspected by designated officials according to the established schedule. This includes daily patrols, on-foot inspections, trolley inspections, and footplate/rear window inspections by concerned officials.
Furthermore, to objectively assess the health of the track geometry, Track Recording Car (TRC) and Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) runs are conducted at scheduled frequencies.
The entire Indian Railways railway network is covered by TRC and OMS runs. Based on various inspections, necessary actions are being taken in a time-bound manner to ensure the safety of the track, the minister informed.
To strengthen Indian Railways' infrastructure and technology, the government announced this week that it has approved several upgradation projects worth Rs 765 crore to improve operations, expand line capacity, and modernize communication systems across critical sections of the network.
According to the Railways Ministry, the approved projects include upgrading electric traction systems on two high-density freight and passenger corridors and expanding the optical fibre communication backbone across the Vadodara and Mumbai Central divisions of Western Railway.