The Union Budget for FY27 allocated a record Rs 2.78 trillion (tn) to the Ministry of Railways, up from Rs 2.52 tn the year before. Within that, Rs 521 billion (bn) went to rolling stock, Rs 367 bn to new lines, and Rs 229 bn to track renewal.
Dedicated freight corridors are being extended, Vande Bharat sleeper prototypes are in testing, and the target of shifting 45% of India's freight to rail by 2030 remains firmly in place.
The railway capex support has never been stronger, and the order books have rarely looked fuller.
The honest answer is that very little went wrong with the railways. What went wrong was the price.
Two years ago, railways was the most crowded theme in the Indian market. Valuations detached from earnings, and the market has spent the last year pulling them back toward reality.
The stock has fallen below Rs 300 for the first time since May 2024, and at around Rs 234 it is down over 50% from its record high of Rs 647 touched in July 2024.
What makes RVNL interesting to watch is that the order book has held up. The company continues to win contracts, including metro and state electricity work, and its order book runs at roughly 4.5 times revenue, giving multi-year visibility.
But its financial numbers explain the de-rating. Its FY26 revenue was about Rs 204 bn with profit of roughly Rs 8.7 bn. The company has delivered poor sales growth of just 5.79% over the past 5 years.
Margins in EPC work are thin and RVNL competes for the same tenders as everybody else.
Even after halving, the stock trades at nearly 5 times its book value, which is demanding for a low-margin construction business.
One potential trigger worth tracking is that reports suggest the Ministry of Railways has moved a formal proposal to merge IRCON International with RVNL.
#2 IRCON International (Down 30.0%)
Second is IRCON International, the other big railway construction PSU.
IRCON began in 1976 as a railway construction company and has since become an integrated engineering and construction PSU handling technologically complex projects across railways, highways, tunnels and bridges.
It was elevated to Navratna status in October 2023. The Government of India holds about 65%.
The stock has fallen from a 52-week high of Rs 189.5 to around Rs 125.6 and is down more than 60% from its 2024 peak of Rs 351.6.
The problem here is not the order book but the top line. Its FY26 revenue fell about 15.7% to Rs 90.7 bn from Rs 107.6 bn, and profit declined roughly 18% to Rs 5.95 bn.
The management has guided for core EBITDA margins of only 4-4.2% given intense EPC competition.
Return on equity has averaged a low 12.1% over three years, and five-year sales growth of 11.2% is modest for a company that was priced as a growth story.
On the other side, IRCON keeps winning work, including a Rs 7.6 bn Tripura power order through a joint venture, and it pays a dividend.
At around 19 times earnings, it's among the more reasonably valued names in the pack.
For more details, check out its financial factsheet.
#3 IRFC (Down 28.9%)
Third is Indian Railway Finance Corporation, the dedicated financing arm of Indian Railways and once the most widely held railway stock among retail investors.
IRFC is not a contractor or a manufacturer. It raises money from Indian and global markets and lends it to the railways to fund rolling stock and infrastructure.
Its borrower is effectively the Government of India, which makes its asset quality close to sovereign.
The stock has slipped below Rs 100 in 2026 for the first time since January 2024, settling around Rs 99.34, down 56% from its all-time high of Rs 229 touched in July 2024.
The business itself remains steady. FY26 revenue was around Rs 286 bn with profit of roughly Rs 71.9 bn, and the company continues to pay a healthy dividend.
The government holds 82.9%, so free float is limited.
The reasons for the fall in its stock price are structural. IRFC has delivered poor sales growth of 11.6% over five years, its interest coverage ratio is low, and its growth depends entirely on how much the railways choose to borrow through it rather than through other channels.
A recent offer for sale, in which the government divested a 2% stake, also saw subdued demand, which weighed on sentiment.
What makes IRFC worth watching is it's a low-risk lender with sovereign-quality assets that had simply been priced like a growth company. The de-rating has brought it back toward something more defensible.
For more details, check out its financial factsheet.
#4 Jupiter Wagons (Down 28%)
Fourth is Jupiter Wagons, one of India's largest private wagon manufacturers.
Jupiter Wagons makes railway freight wagons and rolling stock, along with brake discs, load bodies for commercial vehicles and components. It has been expanding into wheelsets and has a joint venture pipeline aimed at import substitution.
The stock currently trades around Rs 245-278 against a 52-week high of Rs 457 and is down roughly 65% from its all-time high of Rs 748.1.
The quarterly numbers show why it has fallen in the past year. Its sales have fallen from about Rs 10 bn in the March 2025 quarter to Rs 4.1 bn in the June 2025 quarter, recovering only to Rs 7.8 bn by December 2025.
Its trailing twelve-month sales are down 27% and profit down 37%. Operating margins have compressed from 14% to 12%.
In FY26, its income came in at about Rs 29.6 bn with profit of Rs 1.66 bn, and some brokerages have an underperform rating on it amid weak Q4 EBITDA on lower wagon sales concerns.
That said, its longer-term picture is more encouraging. The company's profit has compounded at 125% a year over five years, ROCE stands at 21.5% and ROE at 17%, and the order book is roughly Rs 46.8 bn for FY27.
The management is looking to target Rs 100 bn revenue by 2030 at a 15% EBITDA margin.
Do note two concerns. The Odisha wheelset plant has been delayed to end-FY28, while its debtor days have risen from 53.6 to 76.3. Also, promoter holding has fallen 6.31% over three years.
At roughly 49 times earnings, the stock is not cheap despite the fall.
For more details, check out its financial factsheet.
#5 Texmaco Rail & Engineering (Down 22.2%)
Last on the list is Texmaco Rail & Engineering, part of the Adventz Group.
Texmaco manufactures rolling stock, hydro-mechanical equipment and steel castings, and undertakes rail EPC work, bridges and steel structures. It's positioned for the government's freight modernisation push, particularly the dedicated freight corridors.
The stock hit a fresh low of Rs 108.49 and trades around Rs 105-110, down roughly 65% from its all-time high of Rs 296.49.
Its FY26 revenue was about Rs 42.2 bn with profit of Rs 2.14 bn.
The company keeps winning orders, including a Rs 1.22 bn traction transformer order and a Rs 869 million order from UltraTech Cement, and its order book has touched Rs 76 bn.
That said, its return on equity has averaged a low 7.65% over three years, promoter holding has fallen 10.4% over three years, and the company has just approved a Rs 1.5 bn preferential issue.
At roughly 22 times earnings, Texmaco trades at a more modest multiple.
For more details, check out its financial factsheet.
Conclusion
What has happened to railway stocks in the past year is healthier and more mundane than the price charts suggest. A genuine long-term story attracted speculative money, valuations detached from earnings, and the market has spent a year pulling them back toward reality.
The structural case has not weakened at all. India is committing a record Rs 2.78 tn a year to its railways, freight corridors are being built, and the 45% freight modal share target by 2030 implies years of wagon, track and electrification demand.
The companies we discussed above have big order books and strong expansion plans lined up.
But some things deserve caution.
First, not all of these are cheap even after the fall.
Second, the underlying businesses are genuinely low-return.
And third, the trigger for a comeback has to be earnings which has not shown up yet.
Before investing, evaluate each company's business quality, financial performance, management execution, corporate governance, and valuation as key factors.
Happy investing.
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