India's rail network rose from 53,596 route kilometres as of April 1950 to 64,600 kilometres in March 2012.Stating this in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Railways K.J. Surya Prakash Reddy, however, said the total rail route converted to broad gauge or new broad gauge laid totalled 52,241 kilometres.The minister was responding a question from D.P. Tripathi of the Nationalist Congress Party.Asked if people preferred road transport to railways, the minister admitted that the former enjoyed the advantage of "door to door service", particularly in respect of short and non bulk traffic.

"Road is the preferred mode for certains streams of traffic," he said.