Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday signalled that the railway has planned to develop a Dedicated Passenger Corridor (DPC) over the next thirty years. He mentioned the move to cater for the growing passenger demand and increase the capacity of the existing tracks, along with developing Vande Bharat 4.0 trains
A Dedicated Passenger Corridor (DPC) is a proposed, high-speed rail network designed exclusively for passenger trains in India. It aims to separate fast passenger traffic from existing rail lines to increase efficiency and speed.
While speaking at the 16th International Railway Equipment Exhibition (IREE) 2025, the Railway Minister also hinted at similar multiple corridors to be constructed in the future. He said, “We have to start constructing dedicated passenger corridors because we are 1.4 billion people; the amount of transportation demand is humongous. We have successful examples of economies of similar nature.” The plan came after the success of the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC).
Vaishanw mentioned the success of Vande Bharat trains and urged the industry and railway engineers to reimagine the indigenous semi-high speed train. He said, “The new version will focus on enhancing toilets, improving seats and elevating the overall workmanship of the coaches. Vande Bharat 4.0 (to be launched in the next 18 months) should be a train so advanced in quality and comfort that countries around the world aspire to adopt it.”
He also highlighted the three major focus areas for railways, which are to provide enough service for passengers, ensure safety and make the national transporter ready for at least the next 25 years.
Dedicated corridors development
Vaishnaw also stated that the corridors will be constructed over 7,000 km of dedicated routes by 2047 under the Centre Government’s Viksit Bharat Vision. He further mentioned that these corridors will be equipped with indigenously developed signalling systems and modern operations control centres (OCCs).
What is the train speed on Dedicated Passenger Corridors?
The railway minister added that the Dedicated Passenger Corridors (DPC) will have maximum speeds of up to 350 kmph, with an operational speed of 320 kmph. This means that the usual operating speed of the train will be 320 kmph with a speed limit up to 350 kmph as per design.
Indian Railways modernisation
In addition, the minister said that there is a focus on the modernisation and expansion of Indian Railways. He said, “For this, the Railway budget has been continuously increased. In the last 11 years, more than 35,000 kilometres of new tracks have been laid and 46,000 kilometres of electrification has been completed.”
Vaishnaw informed that 156 Vande Bharat services, 30 Amrit Bharat services, and 4 Namo Bharat services are now running across India. He stated that in the year 2024-25, a record more than 7,000 coaches, approximately 42,000 wagons, and 1,681 locomotives were produced. Along with this, the country’s first 9,000 HP electric locomotive was inaugurated, while 12,000 HP locomotives are already in operation.