Published at June 13, 2025 by InfraJunction
India has made major progress in transport infrastructure over the past 10 years. A new official report released on Wednesday shows how the Central Government has made big investments in roads, railways, ports, airports, and waterways. This development has happened under key national programs like PM GatiShakti, PRAGATI, Bharatmala, Sagarmala, UDAN, and the National Logistics Policy.
These government programs are working together to improve connectivity across the country. They are also helping goods and people move faster and more easily across different regions of India.
The report highlights how PM GatiShakti, launched in 2021, is playing a central role. It connects 44 ministries and 36 states and union territories on one digital GIS-based platform. This helps in better planning and faster execution of projects.
Under PM GatiShakti, the Government is spending Rs 100 lakh crore to create a smooth and connected transport system. It focuses on seven main sectors — roads, railways, ports, waterways, airports, mass transport, and logistics. These sectors are being developed in a coordinated way to avoid delays and make better use of funds.
India’s national highways have grown rapidly in the last decade. The length has increased by 60%, from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,204 km in 2024. In 2014, the pace of construction was 11.6 km per day, but now it has gone up to 34 km per day.
In addition, the Centre’s spending on road infrastructure has gone up 6.4 times between 2013-14 and 2024-25. The road transport and highways budget has jumped by 570% during this period. This shows how important roads are for India’s development.
Along with roads, Indian Railways has also received much more attention. The budget for railways has increased by more than nine times since 2014. This extra funding is helping in launching modern trains, building new tracks, and electrifying the rail network.
The popular Vande Bharat semi-high-speed trains have been launched during this period. So far, 68 Vande Bharat trains are running across 24 states and UTs, covering 333 districts. Moreover, 400 more Vande Bharat trains are planned for the future.
Also, since 2014, more than 31,000 km of new tracks have been laid and 45,000 km of existing tracks have been renewed. The pace of rail electrification has gone up sharply — from 5,188 route km (2004-14) to over 45,000 route km (2014-25). This has helped railways save Rs 2,960 crore annually by reducing fuel costs.
India’s port sector has also seen fast development. The country’s port capacity has doubled to 2,762 MMTPA in the last 10 years. At the same time, the average time taken for ships to complete operations has gone down from 93 hours to 49 hours.
Under the Sagarmala programme, the government has completed 277 projects to strengthen port infrastructure. These projects aim to boost trade, create jobs, and reduce logistics costs.
One major project is the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport in Kerala. This port, opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2, 2025, cost Rs 8,800 crore. It is India’s first container transshipment port and is built to handle the world’s largest cargo ships. Its location near global shipping routes makes it important for international trade.
The New Dry Dock (NDD) at Cochin Shipyard Limited is another key achievement. Built at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore, the dock is 310 meters long and 13 meters deep. It can service large ships, including aircraft carriers up to 70,000 tons. An international ship repair facility has also been set up in Cochin to support the maritime sector.
In the past decade, India has also seen a big rise in cargo movement through rivers. According to the report, inland waterways cargo has increased by 710%, from 18 MMT to 146 MMT.
To support this, the government has approved an investment of Rs 5,370 crore for National Waterway-1. This waterway runs from Haldia to Varanasi, along the Ganga River. This step is helping in cheaper and faster movement of goods over long distances.
India’s civil aviation sector has also grown in a big way. The number of operational airports has increased from 74 in 2014 to 160 in 2025. More airports now connect small towns and remote regions to bigger cities.
This expansion is mainly due to the UDAN scheme, launched in 2016. The scheme’s goal is to provide affordable air travel to people in smaller cities while keeping it financially practical. As of now, over 1.51 crore passengers have travelled under this scheme.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved Rs 4,500 crore for reviving unserved and underserved airports. Furthermore, the Expenditure Finance Committee has cleared Rs 1,000 crore for building 50 more airports, heliports, and water aerodromes under the UDAN scheme.
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