Indian Railways plans to double train capacity by 2030: Full list of 48 cities set for this upgrade

Indian Railways is planning a major expansion to double the train-originating capacity of key Indian cities over the next five years, aiming to meet rising passenger demand, ease congestion at busy stations, and strengthen nationwide rail connectivity. The roadmap, outlined in a PIB press release issued by the Ministry of Railways, targets progressive capacity enhancement with the larger goal of achieving full doubling by 2030.

Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said the sustained growth in travel demand makes it essential to significantly augment existing infrastructure in major urban centres. “We’re expanding coaching terminals, enhancing sectional and operational capacities in various cities to meet rising passenger demand and reduce congestion. This move will upgrade our railway network and improve nationwide connectivity,” he said.

Under the plan, Indian Railways will adopt a multi-pronged approach to capacity augmentation. This involves increasing the size of individual terminals as well as building new ones in and around towns. Maintenance infrastructure will be enhanced by the establishment of mega coaching complexes, and sectional capacity will be increased through installation of signals, traffic facility works and multitracking to increase track-capacity for more trains.

Capacity planning will also move beyond major terminals to surrounding stations, in order to ensure equitable development. For example, when upgrading Pune station, adjoining stations such as Hadapsar, Khadki, and Alandi will also be kept in mind so that the congestion is spread rather than just being transferred.

It addresses both suburban traffic and non-suburban traffic, the different operational conditions of these two portions (see below) will be considered. As per the PIB release, a holistic plan covering 48 smart cities is being discussed. These cities will have implemented “coordinated infrastructure upgrades” to assist in reaching the doubling of capacity objective.

48 major cities identified for capacity expansion

Delhi
Mumbai
Kolkata
Chennai
Hyderabad
Bengaluru
Amdavad
Patna
Lucknow
Pune
Nagpur
Varanasi
Kanpur
Gorakhpur
Mathura
Ayodhya
Agra
Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn
Chandigarh
Ludhiana
Amritsar
Indore
Bhopal
Ujjain
Jammu
Jodhpur
Jaipur
Vadodra
Surat
Madgaon
Cochin
Puri
Bhubneshwar
Vishakhapatnam
Vijaywada
Tirupati
Haridwar
Guwahati
Bhagalpur
Muzzafarpur
Dharbanga
Gaya
Mysuru
Coimbatore
Tatanagar
Ranchi
Raipur
Bareilly


While the overall goal is to double capacity by 2030, Indian Railways expects incremental gains over the next five years, allowing passengers to benefit from improved services much sooner. Actions will be categorised as immediate, short-term, and long-term, each with defined timelines and outcomes.

Zonal Railways have also been asked to develop a capacity augmentation plan for their divisions, including not only terminals but sectional capacity constraints, yards and operational bottlenecks. The two would help ease the congestion on rail and foster the growth of rail travel in India.