Railway stocks rally on proposed Rs 16 lakh crore high-speed rail expansion plan

Shares of railway-related companies advanced after reports indicated that the Ministry of Railways is evaluating a large-scale high-speed rail expansion plan involving investments of around Rs 16 lakh crore across multiple bullet train corridors.

Railway stocks witnessed broad-based buying. RailTel Corporation of India climbed 3.82%, Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL) rose 3.62%, Ircon International gained 2.82%, Container Corporation of India advanced 2.22%, Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) added 1.99%, Texmaco Rail & Engineering moved up 1.97%, Titagarh Rail Systems increased 1.74%, while BEML edged 1.06% higher.

The proposed programme envisages the development of seven high-speed rail corridors across the country. Among the key routes under consideration are the Delhi-Varanasi and Varanasi-Siliguri corridors, which are expected to significantly reduce travel time between northern and eastern India.

According to reports, the Delhi-Siliguri journey could be cut to nearly six hours from over 20 hours currently taken by some of the fastest trains operating on the route. The proposed network is expected to pass through major cities including Lucknow, Varanasi and Patna.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Delhi-Varanasi corridor is currently under review, while preparatory work for the Varanasi-Siliguri DPR is expected to commence shortly. The proposed routes would complement the under-construction Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor, India's first bullet train project.

Investor sentiment was also supported by expectations that the programme could generate substantial opportunities for companies involved in railway infrastructure, signalling, rolling stock, financing and project execution.

BEML is developing India's first indigenously manufactured high-speed trainset capable of operating at speeds of up to 280 kmph. The company is expected to begin trials on a section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor in 2027. Reports indicated that future generations of domestically developed trainsets could operate at speeds of up to 350 kmph.

The government has repeatedly emphasised the use of indigenous technology and local manufacturing in upcoming high-speed rail projects. This approach to create long-term opportunities for domestic railway equipment manufacturers, engineering firms and infrastructure developers.

The proposed high-speed rail network forms part of India's broader strategy to modernise transport infrastructure, improve connectivity between major economic centres and strengthen the domestic railway manufacturing ecosystem.

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