New Delhi, India’s Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Thursday that Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, has become the latest region to achieve 100 per cent electrification of its entire rail network, marking a significant milestone in the government’s ambitious infrastructure modernisation drive.
Speaking via video conference from Rail Bhawan in New Delhi, Mr Vaishnaw revealed that 5,273 km of new railway track have been laid in the state over the past decade, exceeding the total length of Switzerland’s national rail network. The minister highlighted that annual capital expenditure allocated to Uttar Pradesh’s railway infrastructure has risen dramatically from ₹1,109 crore in the pre-2014 period to ₹19,858 crore in the current financial year, an increase of nearly 1,800 per cent.
Passenger amenities have also seen substantial upgrades. A total of 1,660 road overbridges and under-bridges and flyovers have been constructed, while 154 lifts and 156 escalators have been installed at stations across the state. Wi-Fi services are now available at 771 stations.
The state currently operates 34 semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express trains and 26 Amrit Bharat Express trains, the latter designed specifically for non-air-conditioned long-distance travel with enhanced comfort features.
Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 157 stations in Uttar Pradesh are undergoing redevelopment, including major hubs such as Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Meerut City, Moradabad and Bareilly.
Mr Vaishnaw noted that 48 long-pending projects, including gauge conversion on the Lucknow–Pilibhit, Pilibhit–Shahjahanpur and Bareilly–Tanakpur sections, have been completed in the past eleven years after decades of delays under previous administrations.
The announcements were made during the virtual flag-off ceremony for the extension of the Gorakhpur–Pilibhit Express up to Izzatnagar (Bareilly).
The sharp rise in capital allocation and rapid execution of projects in Uttar Pradesh reflect the central government’s broader push to transform Indian Railways into a modern, efficient and fully electrified network by the end of the decade.
