Indian Railways expanded into some of its toughest terrains in 2025, with landmark projects such as the country's first vertical-lift in Pamban, Tamil Nadu and the world's highest rail bridge on the Chenab river, providing an all-weather rail link to Kashmir. This year also saw rail connectivity reach Mizoram through the commissioning of the Birabi-Sairang line, completing the long-pending links to remote and strategically significant regions in the Northeast. These projects marked a major push towards integrating difficult geographies with the national rail network. In 2025, the Ministry of Railways launched 42 projects in the country, collectively valued at more than Rs 25,000 crore. The railways also operated a record number of special trains, and rapidly expanded Vande Bharat services with 15 new trains introduced during the year. A total of 164 Vande Bharat Express trains now run in the country, the railway ministry said in its year-end review. According to the Ministry of ...