India’s rail network is being asked to think bigger, and faster. With passenger numbers rising steadily, the railway ministry has said the capacity of major cities to originate new trains must be doubled over the next five years.

In a statement issued on Friday, the ministry said existing infrastructure will have to be expanded to meet future demand.

The aim is to achieve a twofold increase in originating capacity by 2030, through a mix of upgrades to present facilities and the creation of new ones.

Highlighting the steps required, the ministry said the plan includes augmenting current terminals with additional platforms, identifying and developing new terminals in and around urban areas, constructing maintenance facilities such as mega coaching complexes, and increasing sectional capacity through traffic facility works.

“While planning for increasing the capacity of terminals, stations around terminals will also be considered so that capacity is evenly balanced. For example, for Pune city, Hadapsar, Khadki, and Alandi have been considered for increasing capacity along with increasing platforms and stabling lines at Pune station,” the ministry said.

The exercise will cover both suburban and non-suburban services. “The above exercise will be done for both suburban as well as non-suburban traffic, keeping in view the distinct requirements of both segments,” it added.

A comprehensive plan covering stations in 48 major cities will be submitted to the Planning Directorate. These include metros and large urban centres such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Patna, Pune, Mathura, Agra and Ludhiana.

“The plan will include the works planned, proposed, or already sanctioned to achieve the goal of doubling the capacity of handling trains in a time-bound manner,” the ministry said.

While the target year remains 2030, the Ministry has made it clear that capacity expansion will be phased. “While the plan to double the capacity is by 2030, it is expected that capacity will be increased progressively in the next 5 years so that the benefits of capacity addition can be reaped immediately. This will help in meeting the traffic requirement progressively over the years. The plan will classify actions under three categories, i.e., immediate, short-term, and long-term.”

Officials said the plans must spell out timelines and outcomes with clarity. The responsibility will extend beyond terminals alone.

“While the exercise is for specific stations, however, each ZR should plan for increasing the capacity of trains running over their divisions so that not only terminal capacity is increased but also the sectional capacity and operational constraints at stations/yards are also addressed,” the ministry said.