India’s infrastructure push: Rail, roads, airports and urban connectivity expand over 12 years
- IBEF
- August 14, 2026
India’s infrastructure landscape has expanded significantly over the past 12 years, supported by higher public capital expenditure and an integrated approach to transport, logistics, housing, water supply and urban development. Public capital expenditure increased from about Rs. 2 lakh crore (US$ 32.71 billion) in 2014-15 to Rs. 12.2 lakh crore (US$ 127.96 billion) in 2026-27, while the railway budget rose from Rs. 32,000 crore (US$ 5.23 billion) to Rs. 2.78 lakh crore (US$ 29.16 billion) over the same period. Rail electrification reached 99.6% by July 2026, compared with around 20% before 2014, while the network now includes 162 Vande Bharat trains, two Vande Bharat Sleeper services and 72 Amrit Bharat services. The national highway network expanded from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,572 km in March 2026, with four-lane and wider highways increasing to 45,516 km. Under Bharatmala, 22,590 km of roads had been completed by March 2026. Civil aviation connectivity has also expanded, with operational airports increasing from 74 in 2014 to 165 in July 2026, while 95 airports, heliports and water aerodromes have been connected through 679 UDAN routes.
Urban and maritime infrastructure has also recorded substantial growth, strengthening regional connectivity and logistics capacity. India’s metro network expanded from 248 km in 2014 to more than 1,155 km in 2026, with connectivity extending from five to 26 cities and daily ridership exceeding 1.15 crore passengers. Major ports’ cargo-handling capacity nearly doubled from 873 million metric tonnes per annum in 2014 to 1,728 MMTPA in 2026, while vessel turnaround time improved to 48.8 hours in 2025-26. The number of national waterways increased from five to 111, with 32 operational in 2026. The PM GatiShakti National Master Plan now integrates infrastructure planning across 58 ministries and departments using more than 3,291 data layers. As of August 11, 2026, 396 infrastructure projects worth about Rs. 18.66 lakh crore (US$ 195.72 billion) had been evaluated through the Network Planning Group, with 256 sanctioned and 198 under implementation. The PRAGATI platform has reviewed 382 projects worth more than Rs. 85 lakh crore (US$ 891.13 billion) and resolved 2,958 issues. Infrastructure expansion has also supported basic services, with rural tap-water coverage reaching around 15.91 crore households under Jal Jeevan Mission as of August 10, 2026. The Government has sanctioned projects worth about Rs. 2.79 lakh crore (US$ 29.26 billion) under AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 since 2015, while 7,790 projects worth Rs. 1,56,257 crore (US$ 17.68 billion) had been completed under the Smart Cities Mission as of March 2026.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.
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