Jharkhand gets over 7k cr from Union Budget for rail infra augmentation

Ranchi: Jharkhand has received over Rs 7,000 crore allocations in the railways sector in the Union Budget 2026-27 for the development of infrastructure in the state, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday.

Vaishnaw, attending a video conference from New Delhi, claimed that the allocation is 16 times higher than the Rs 457 crore average outlay provided by the Centre between 2014 and 2019.




Congratulating the people of Jharkhand on the record number of budgetary allocation, the Union railway minister said, “This year, Rs 7,536 crore has been allocated for Jharkhand in the Union Budget to improve railway connectivity in the state. A record number of railway projects, worth Rs 63,470 crore, are underway in Jharkhand. In the coming days, railway connectivity will significantly improve here.”

Jharkhand got Rs 7,306 crore budgetary allocation in the Union Budget for the 2025-26 FY.

The minister further said that 12 pairs of Vande Bharat and four pairs of Amrit Bharat trains are currently operating in Jharkhand. However, the state got only two pairs of new trains in the current budget.

“The ministry is planning to roll out two more pairs of Amrit Bharat trains in the state. One pair connecting Dhanbad and Coimbatore has already been approved and will start operating soon, while the other pair is yet to be announced,” Vaishnaw added.

Following the Union minister’s announcement, Ranchi divisional railway manager (DRM) Karuna Nidhi Singh said that the budgetary allocation will significantly help in developing the railways ecosystem in the state.

“The allocated budget will mainly be spent on track doubling, electrification, installation of the Kavach system, and station development works. A total of 57 stations have been identified for redevelopment in the state under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme. Out of the total, 15 stations are under the Ranchi railway division, and one station has already been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Works are rapidly progressing in the remaining 14 stations,” the DRM added.

DRM Singh further said that around 1,400 km of railway track has been developed in Jharkhand since 2014.

Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries’ chairman Aditya Malhotra, reacting to the announcements, said, “Although many states in the country are provided with bullet train facilities in the budget, Jharkhand got nothing of that sort. Four districts in the state- Khunti, Simdega, Gumla and Chatra are yet to be connected through railways. We were expecting new connectivity in the districts. If our tribal-dominated states will remain untouched by rail connectivity, how will the dream of Viksit Bharat 2047 be realised?”