In a major move to address the country's escalating travel needs, Indian Railways has unveiled an ambitious plan to significantly boost its operational capabilities. The national transporter aims to double the originating train capacity in 48 major metropolitan and tier-1 cities by the year 2030.
Phased Implementation for Immediate Benefits
According to a release from the Ministry of Railways, while the overarching target is set for 2030, the capacity enhancement will be executed progressively over the coming five years. This phased approach is designed to ensure that the benefits of increased capacity are realized by passengers without delay. The ministry emphasized that the current railway infrastructure will also be substantially augmented to support this expansion and meet future requirements.
The strategy involves classifying necessary actions into three distinct categories: immediate, short-term, and long-term. This structured plan is intended to systematically meet the growing traffic demands over the years. The initiative is a direct response to the rapidly growing and sustained demand for rail travel across the nation.
The 48 Cities Slated for Major Expansion
The comprehensive list of cities where originating train capacity is set to double includes major hubs across India. The plan encompasses a wide geographical spread, ensuring enhanced connectivity from north to south and east to west.
The cities identified for this massive upgrade are:
- Delhi
- Mumbai (Central Railway & Western Railway)
- Kolkata (Eastern Railway, South Eastern Railway & Metro)
- Chennai
- Hyderabad
- Bangalore
- Ahmedabad
- Patna
- Lucknow (Northern Railway & North Eastern Railway)
- Pune
- Nagpur (Central Railway & South East Central Railway)
- Varanasi (Northern Railway & North Eastern Railway)
- Kanpur
- Gorakhpur
- Mathura
- Ayodhya
- Agra
- Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction
- Chandigarh
- Ludhiana
- Amritsar
- Indore
- Bhopal
- Ujjain
- Jammu
- Jodhpur
- Jaipur
- Vadodara
- Surat
- Madgaon
- Cochin
- Puri
- Bhubaneshwar
- Vishakhapatnam
- Vijaywada
- Tirupati
- Haridwar
- Guwahati
- Bhagalpur
- Muzaffarpur
- Darbhanga
- Gaya
- Mysore
- Coimbatore
- Tatanagar
- Ranchi
- Raipur
- Bareilly
Addressing Future Mobility Challenges
This capacity doubling plan is a cornerstone of Indian Railways' Vision 2030, which seeks to modernize and expand the network to keep pace with India's economic growth and urbanization. By focusing on originating capacity, the railways aim to decongest major hubs, allow for more frequent services, and provide better connectivity to smaller towns and cities linked to these metropolitan centers.
The announcement, made on December 26, 2025, underscores the government's commitment to transforming the railways into a more efficient, passenger-friendly, and high-capacity system. The success of this plan will hinge on synchronized efforts in infrastructure development, rolling stock augmentation, and operational efficiency improvements across the designated cities.
