Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday (February 1) allocated ₹2,81,377 crore to the Indian Railways in the Budget 2026–27, up 10% from ₹2,55,445 crore in the previous year’s allocation.
Spending on new lines is estimated at ₹36,721.55 crore in 2026–27 compared with ₹30,631.50 crore in the Revised Estimates for 2025–26, while allocation for doubling of tracks has been raised to ₹37,750 crore from ₹29,026 crore. Gauge conversion has been budgeted at ₹4,600 crore, slightly higher than ₹4,284 crore.
Outlay on rolling stock is projected at ₹52,108.73 crore in 2026–27, up from ₹50,007.77 crore in 2025–26. Capital payments for leased assets have also risen sharply to ₹39,650 crore from ₹28,157.13 crore. Track renewals are budgeted at ₹22,853 crore, marginally lower than ₹25,166.45 crore.
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Allocations for signalling and telecom have been increased to ₹7,500 crore from ₹6,500 crore, while electrification projects are set at ₹5,000 crore compared with ₹4,500 crore earlier. Expenditure on road safety works includes ₹800 crore for level crossings and ₹8,225 crore for road over and under bridges.
Customer amenities are budgeted at ₹11,971.82 crore, broadly in line with the Revised Estimates of ₹12,120.50 crore. Staff welfare has been allocated ₹967.31 crore, while training and human resource development has been raised to ₹488.28 crore.
Manufacturing suspense stands at ₹73,631.52 crore for 2026–27, higher than ₹64,905.68 crore in the Revised Estimates. Transfers to dedicated safety and infrastructure funds remain unchanged, with ₹45,000 crore allocated to the Railway Safety Fund, ₹10,000 crore to the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh, and ₹15,000 crore to the Sovereign Green Fund.
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(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)
First Published: Feb 1, 2026 1:21 PM IST
