Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday (February 26, 2026) announced a Rail Tech policy aimed at engaging innovators and start-ups to drive technological innovation in the sector.
The policy proposes a dedicated innovation portal to enable open submissions of detailed proposals, and provides financial support of up to 50% of the development cost for selected solutions.
Addressing a press conference, the Minister said the objective of the move is to shift away from the earlier complex system of vendor selection based strictly on rigid specifications and to create a simplified, innovation-driven framework focused on trial and adoption of new technologies.
Explaining the funding structure, he noted that when a start-up or innovator proposes a viable technological solution, the Railways would support up to 50% of the required development funding. Once the project proves successful, it would place substantial long-term orders to enable scaling of the solution.
The policy is designed to also ensure that successful innovations are implemented at scale.
