Recent information obtained via a Right to Information (RTI) request reveals that Indian Railways is facing a significant encroachment issue. As of March 2025, a total of 1,068.54 hectares of railway land is reported to be under encroachment. This expansive area can accommodate nearly 42 Narendra Modi Stadiums or approximately 1,496 FIFA-sized football fields, highlighting the magnitude of the problem. The RTI response indicates that the situation has not improved, with encroachments increasing over the past five years.

The RTI application, submitted by India Today, sought a comprehensive 25-year overview of rail land encroachment. However, the Railway Board only provided data for the last five years, illustrating a trend that warrants concern. From the 2020-21 fiscal year to 2024-25, the area affected by encroachment surged from 810.31 hectares to 1,068.54 hectares, a substantial rise of nearly 32 per cent.

Comparative Analysis of Encroached Land

To better understand the scale of the encroached land, it is essential to put the figures into context. The Narendra Modi Stadium, recognised as the world’s largest cricket stadium in terms of seating capacity, occupies approximately 25.5 hectares, equivalent to 63 acres. Thus, the encroached railway land could feasibly house up to 42 such stadiums.

In terms of football, the same area can fit around 1,496 pitches that conform to FIFA standards. This estimation considers only the playing surfaces and does not account for additional facilities such as spectator stands and parking areas.

Despite a temporary decrease in the area under encroachment to 782.81 hectares during the 2021-22 period, the numbers escalated sharply thereafter, reaching 1,078.55 hectares by 2023-24. This marked an increase of approximately 268 hectares, the most significant rise within the five-year timeframe.

Challenges in Land Reclamation Efforts

The Railway Board has made efforts to remove encroachments but has reportedly seen limited success. Over the past five years, only 98.02 hectares of the encroached land has been reclaimed, leaving a continuing backlog of over 1,068 hectares. The overall trend indicates that while there was a slight decline in encroachments for 2024-25, the problem remains persistent.

According to government communications, the reclaimed railway land typically serves infrastructure projects, including the development of multi-tracking systems, workshops, passenger terminals, and freight depots. Additionally, land that is surplus to operational needs is transferred to the Rail Land Development Authority for potential commercial use.

One notable aspect of the RTI response is the lack of long-term data. The Railway Board indicated that it maintains encroachment records for only five years, leading to an absence of a centralised repository that tracks railway land encroachment trends over several decades.

Unavailability of Specific Data

The RTI inquiry also sought to identify states with the highest presence of encroached railway land. However, the Railway Board disclosed that it does not maintain location-wise encroachment data and advised the applicant to contact the Public Information Officers of the relevant zonal railways for state-specific information.

This lack of comprehensive data tracking raises concerns about the overall management and understanding of railway land encroachment in India, limiting the government’s ability to effectively address the escalating challenges.

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