Indian Railways inched closer to the 100 per cent electrification goal in 2026, according to a recent statement by the Centre. The railway ministry attributed the achievement to bringing the electrification rate from an average of just 1.4 km per day to more than 15 km a day in recent years. This rapid pace pushed the network to the brink of fully electric operations.
Railway electrification in India began in 1925, when the first electric train ran between Bombay Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and Kurla, using a 1500V DC system.
Progress was slow for decades: by Independence, only 388 route km had been electrified, and even by 2000, electrified tracks accounted for just 24 per cent of the network.
Between 2004 and 2014, the railways added about 1.42km of electrified track per day on average. From 2019 to 2025, that average jumped to more than 15 km per day, as per a backgrounder published by the Centre.
Nearing 100% electrification
By the end of 2024, Indian Railways had electrified over 96 per cent of its broad-gauge network. As of November 2025, 69,427 route km—about 99.2% of the 70,001km broad-gauge network—were electrified, with 46,900 route km added between 2014 and 2025 alone.
Only 574 km remains to be electrified, mainly in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam and Goa.
Mission 100% Electrification: Powering the Future of Indian Railways
— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 6, 2026
India’s Railways, once powered largely by diesel, are now rapidly shifting to electric trains. This marks a major leap towards a modern and sustainable future. With wires spreading across the network under… pic.twitter.com/17whcCmkct
The Centre said that its “mission mode” approach, higher capital spending, and new construction technologies were key to the surge. Mechanised cylindrical foundations and automatic wiring trains replaced slower, labour-intensive methods, helping speed up work and improve safety and quality, they said.
