Alarming Land Encroachment Issues in Indian Railways Revealed

A recent RTI response has unveiled a shocking level of land encroachment affecting Indian Railways, with over 1,068 hectares illegally occupied. This area is equivalent to 42 Narendra Modi Stadiums or 1,496 football fields. Despite efforts to reclaim the land, progress has been minimal, with only 98.02 hectares recovered in five years. The data reveals a troubling trend of increasing encroachments, raising concerns about the management of this vital national asset. The lack of long-term records further complicates the situation, leaving many questions unanswered about the extent of the issue and the effectiveness of current reclamation efforts. Read on to discover more about this pressing crisis.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 14, 2026, 08:58 IST

Significant Land Encroachment Exposed

A shocking revelation has emerged regarding the security and administrative systems of Indian Railways. An RTI response has disclosed that a staggering amount of land, deemed crucial for the nation, has been illegally occupied, a situation that is both alarming and hard to fathom. The encroached land is approximately 42 times larger than the renowned 'Narendra Modi Stadium' in Ahmedabad and is equivalent to around 1,496 FIFA-standard football fields. According to the RTI response received by a news media outlet, as of March 2025, Indian Railways had 1,068.54 hectares of land under encroachment.

This issue is not diminishing; data indicates that encroachments have increased over the past five years, while efforts to reclaim the land have made minimal progress.

Limited Data Available

The RTI application filed by a news media outlet sought a 25-year history of land encroachments, but the railway board provided data for only the last five years. The figures reveal that the total encroached land rose from 810.31 hectares in 2020-21 to 1,068.54 hectares in 2024-25, marking an increase of nearly 32%.

These statistics align with the government's response in Parliament on March 27, 2026, which stated that as of April 1, 2025, Indian Railways possessed approximately 4.99 lakh hectares of land, with about 0.21% (around 1,068 hectares) under encroachment.

Understanding the Scale of Encroachment

To grasp the enormity of 1,068 hectares, comparisons can be made. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, recognized as the world's largest cricket stadium by capacity, spans about 63 acres or roughly 25.5 hectares. This means that the encroached railway land could accommodate around 42 such stadiums. In terms of football, this area is equivalent to approximately 1,496 FIFA-sized football fields, excluding spectator stands, parking areas, and other facilities.

Growing Challenges

The Land and Amenities Directorate of the railway board has provided year-on-year data on encroachments and efforts to remove them. In 2021-22, the area of encroached land temporarily decreased to 782.81 hectares. However, this figure rapidly increased, reaching 1,078.55 hectares in 2023-24, representing a surge of nearly 268 hectares in a single year, the largest jump in five years. Although there was a slight decline in 2024-25, the overall trend remains upward.

Efforts to clear the encroachments have seen very little success. Over the past five years, only 98.02 hectares of railway land have been reclaimed, leaving over 1,068 hectares still occupied.

What Happens After Reclaiming Land?

The government informed the Lok Sabha that in the last five years, approximately 98.02 hectares of encroached railway land have been recovered. The reclaimed land is utilized for railway infrastructure projects, including multi-tracking, workshops, passenger terminals, and freight terminals. Land that is not immediately necessary for operational purposes is handed over to the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) for commercial development.

Data Gaps

Perhaps the most critical aspect of the RTI response is not the available data but the information that the railway board claims it does not maintain records for. When asked about a 25-year trend, the board stated that it only keeps data for the last five years.

This implies that there is no centralized long-term record to track changes in land encroachments over decades. The RTI also requested information on states with the highest encroachments on railway land. However, the railway board indicated that it does not maintain encroachment data by location and advised the applicant to contact different zonal railway public information officers for state or location-specific information.