FDI In Railways Sectorsโ€” Procedures, Fees And Documents Required

Updated on May 06, 2025 02:36:56 PM

Exploring the world through railways is an all time fantasy for all passengers who are not only eager to reach destinations but also to foothold the scenes outside the window. Trains are glimpsed as the pivotal room for joining each province without facing any sort of discomfort in moving and stretching their legs.

The low energy and CO2 intensities of rail transport make promoting rail a promising strategy to diversify energy sources and reduce emissions. However, like all other transport infrastructure, rail investment is expensive. High levels of infrastructure utilization are necessary for rail construction projects to pay off, both economically and environmentally.

The Indian Railways has a total track length of 126,366 kilometers and 7,335 stations. 5243 km of track length was attained in 2022-23, compared to 2909 km in 2021-22. The average daily track laying rate increases to 14.4 kilometers per day (the highest ever commissioned). The railways run 13,523 passenger trains and 9,146 freight trains per day. The Indian Railways loaded 1512 MT in 2022-23, compared to 1418 MT in FY 2021-22. This is the largest ever loading for IR in a fiscal year.

As of December 2023, 61,508 kilometers of Broad-Gauge network have been electrified. With this, Indian Railways is swiftly approaching its goal of becoming the world's largest green railway network and achieving 100% electrification. Indian Railways (IR) is making tremendous progress in achieving its mission.

It is being estimated to each revenue margin over US$ 17.2 Bn along with certain anticipation to skyrocket the annual estimation for carrying passengers up to 12 Bn capacity followed by annual freight demand of 8 Million tonnes in the same year.

Furthermore Indian Railways reports 1434.03 MT of freight loading until February 2024, with a monthly cargo capacity of 136.6 MT in February 2024, representing a 10.13% increase over the same period previous year.

To participate in FDI in the railways sector for expanding collaboration with foreign countries to envisage transformation in dometic upbringing, the applicants are required to register under the Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal (FIFP). The procedure might be puzzling for any newcomer applicant since it incorporates several terms and conditions without rendering direct access to portals that can generate approvals for FDI.

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Objectives Of FDI In Railways Sectors

Following are the objectives of FDI in railways sectors:

  • To aggressively adopt all contemporary technologies, best human rights practices, management approaches, and particular steps for the safety of female and elderly passengers and children.
  • To improve the travel experience and provide more services, private actors must contribute to improving railway competitiveness through private train operations, which are now underway, with three trains operating on the Indian Railways network.
  • To provide suburban corridor projects through PPP
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Components Permitted Under FDI In Railways Sectors

100% FDI is allowed in railways infrastructure through automatic route.

These includes:

  • Construction, operation, and maintenance of suburban corridor projects through PPP
  • High-speed train projects
  • Dedicated freight corridors
  • Railway electrification
  • Signalling systems
  • Freight terminals
  • Passenger terminals
  • Infrastructure in industrial parks pertaining to railway line/siding including electrified railways lines and connectivity to the main railway line
  • Mass Rapid Transport Systems (MRTS)
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Documents Required For FDI In Railways Sector

Many documents are required for FDI in the railways sector which are as follows:

  • List of names, addresses, and identification proof of all foreign collaborators of the investor company/entity
  • From both investor/investee entities- Certification of Incorporation and MoA
  • Copy of joint venture agreement/ shareholders agreement/technology
  • Copy of downstream intimation
  • Copy of relevant past FIPB/SIA/RBI joint with the current proposal
  • Copy of Downstream Intimation
  • An affidavit to ensure all documents are relevant
  • Valuation certification approved by a certified chartered accountant
  • CS Certificate
  • Declaration by the Authorized Representative of the Indian Company/LLP
  • Pre and post-shareholding pattern in the Indian company
  • Copy of the order of the High Court on the scheme of merger/ demerger/ amalgamation (if applicable)
  • RBI approval on the amount of refund concerning the amount of the issue (if applicable)
  • Valuation certificate
  • Approval letter (if non-compliant with the guidelines โ€“ if applicable)
  • Relevant RBI approvals for an issue of equity shares against funds payable to the foreign investor
  • FIRC/ Debit statement
  • Know Your Customer (KYC)
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Procedure Of FDI Approval (Government)

Following are the procedures which required at the time of FDI in the railways sector:

Step 1: FILLING APPLICATION FORM ONLINE

Applicants must fill out the online application form along with the relevant documents for making out the proposal for Foreign Direct Investment

Step 2: SENDING APPLICATION TO POTENTIAL AUTHORITY

Filing the proposal for FDI online within two working days, DIPP then will address the concerned administrative ministry to transfer the proposal of applicants electronically

Step 3: SUBMIT REQUISITE PHYSICAL DOCUMENTS

Collect all the requisite documents for continuing the process of the investment proposal. In case documents may be found incorrect, applicants will be held responsible in case of any deviation found.

Step 4: PROCESSING AND APPROVAL/ REJECTION OF APPLICATION

The DIPP along with potential authorities will process the application internally and recognize various ministries for adding several comments such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, Reserve Bank of India, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry Of Finances, etc.

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What Are The Conditions For Procedure Of FDI Approval?

There are conditions tapping for the procedure of FDI approval which must be understood by investors.

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Key Advantages For Investors In India

Following are the key advantages for investors in India who invests in railways sectors :

  1. Robust Demand - Increasing urbanisation and rising income (both urban and rural) is driving growth in the passenger segment. In 2023-24, traffic revenue is expected to reach Rs 2,64,600 crore (US$ 32.18 billion), accounting for 99.8% of total income.
  2. Attractive opportunities - Indian Railways is developing and inventing technology in areas like signaling and telecommunication, with 15,000 kilometers being converted to automatic signaling and 37,000 kilometers to be equipped with 'KAVACH', a locally built Train Collision Avoidance System.
  3. Policy support - In January 2021, the Ministry of Railways implemented a new iron ore policy that governs rake allocation and transportation.
  4. Increasing investment - Railway infrastructure investment is estimated to rise from $58.96 billion in 2013-17RE to $124.13 billion in 2018-22E. FDI inflows in railway-related components totaled $1.40 billion between April 2000 and September 2023.
Key Advantages For Investors In India
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Benefits Of FDI In Railways Sector

Following are the benefits of FDI in railways sector who invests in this sector:

  1. Capital Infusions - One significant advantage is the inflow of much-needed finance. Railways frequently require large expenditures for renovations, expansion, and new technology. FDI provides an alternative source of finance, relieving the government of the burden and enabling it to focus on other areas.
  2. Introducing new developments in railways sector - FDI may be very useful in supporting new projects such as dedicated freight corridors and high-speed rail lines. This has the potential to create new economic possibilities while also improving regional connections.
  3. Best operations management - FDI may bring best practices into management and operations, resulting in a more efficient railway system. This can lead to benefits such as shorter travel times, improved on-time performance, and potentially cheaper operating expenses.
  4. Exchange of technologies - Foreign enterprises frequently bring superior technology and experience to the table. This includes high-speed rail networks, enhanced signaling systems, and more efficient rolling equipment (trains and locomotives).
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Conclusions

FDI in railroads provide a viable avenue for upgrading and development. It injects cash, transfers technology, and may increase efficiency and competition. This can result in a more modern and user-friendly train system. However, careful planning is required to guarantee that FDI benefits both foreign investors and the indigenous economy with certain government initiatives, rules, guidelines and schemes.

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Attention Investors

Several other factors to consider for investors while investing in medical industries are listed below:

  • Before involving huge investments, applicants must be prerequisites to check the kind of companies the government allows them to invest in. Because investment in the stock market is volatile and may not recover your loss, leading to unwriggled investment which will not recover at the time of redemption of company loss.
  • Additionally, before application applicants need to inspect and ensure that all the requisite documents are submitted online without discovering any omissions and incorrect information within the documents. FDI is largely inspired to bring investors forth along with certain advantages that benefit sectors.
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What Are The Eligibility Requirements For FDI In India?

Investors must also need to check eligibility criteria for buying investment in India in sectoral companies.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the investment opportunities available in railways sector?

There are various investment opportunities available in railways sector which have potential to raise the sector glory worldwide about its utmost importance, includingโ€” Components manufacturing, Infrastructure projects such as Railway Station Redevelopment, Tunnelling, High speed train projects such as Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project, Projects relating to Electrification, Track doubling/laying, Dedicated Freight CorridorsFreight terminals operations and Manufacturing of wagons, coaches and locomotive units

What is R3i policy?

R3i policy is the scheme intended to encourage private sector engagement in rail connection projects in order to increase rail transport capacity.

How big is rail industry in India?

In 2022, it will transport around 8 billion people and 1.4 billion tons of freight. Every day, Indian Railways operate over 13,000 passenger trains and over 8,000 freight trains, connecting over 7,000 stations across India. The Railway Board, which reports to the Ministry of Railways, operates Indian Railways.

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