New Delhi, June 8 -- Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Monday an ambitious expansion plan for India's rail network, aiming to add 3,000 new regular train services over the next five years.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance capacity for middle and lower-middle-class passengers, following the successful addition of 2,000 train services in the post-COVID period.

Highlighting the sector's transformation since 2014, Vaishnaw contrasted the current scale of investment with the "peanuts" allocated in the 60 to 70 years prior. The Minister pointed to the 2016 merger of the railway and general budgets as a critical turning point that enabled a significant surge in funding, escalating from Rs.35,000 cror...