Rajya Sabha passes Railways Amendment Bill

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2025 aimed at modernising and streamlining railway operations across India.

Union minister of railways Ashwini Vaishnaw addressed the House and emphasised the bill’s potential to empower field offices, boost efficiency, and strengthen cooperative federalism.The motion for the introduction of the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was moved in the Lok Sabha on August 9, 2024 and was passed in the Lower House on December 11.

During his speech on Monday, Vaishnaw stated that the bill is designed to simplify rules and regulations.The railways function through zones, divisions, and production units under the supervision of the Railway Board, which makes all policy decisions for railway operations.“The Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2025 replaces provisions from the colonial era.

The provisions related to the Railway Board are incorporated into the Railways Act, 1989.

The new bill will reduce references to two Acts, and now only one Act will need to be referred to,” a statement from the Union ministry of railways read.“I want to clarify that the bill will not reduce the powers of either state governments or Parliament.

The nature, scope, and functioning of the Railway Board, zones, divisions, and production units will remain the same,” Vaishnaw said.The minister assured the House that the bill aims to simplify existing laws without diminishing the powers of state governments.

Instead, it advocates for decentralisation by granting general managers in railway zones the authority to approve projects up to ₹1,000 crore.Vaishnaw also highlighted the government’s commitment to equitable railway development across states, noting significant budget increases in regions where the ruling party is not in power.

“Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and West Bengal have all received notably higher allocations compared to previous administrations,” he said.Meanwhile, the standing committee on railways, in its second report presented to the Lok Sabha on Monday, urged the railway ministry to accelerate the modernisation of 1,337 stations identified under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

The committee called for the completion of the project within a defined timeline and emphasised the need for regular monitoring to ensure progress.“The committee also feels that the scope of the Amrit Bharat Stations Scheme needs to be expanded to include more stations, particularly in backward and rural areas.

The committee urges the ministry of railways to actively explore and incentivise Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models for station redevelopment to reduce reliance on budgetary support,” the report stated.