United Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday (18 March 2025) that Rs 252 crore was allocated as a historic decision.
Mr Vaishnaw spoke during the opposition’s noisy protests, as it was not allowed to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Vaishnaw said the railway has now reached a healthy financial position despite challenges during Covid-19. “The current situation is that the railway is now able to meet all its expenses through its own revenue, covering both major and minor expenses,” he said.
Parliamentary Budget Meeting Day 4 Update
He explained that breaking costs, the biggest expenditure component in the railway is the cost of employees, which totaled Rs 116,000 crore. “There are nearly 1.5 million pensioners who have a pension cost of around Rs 66,000 crore.
Mr Vaishnaw said that in terms of passenger subsidies, the cost of transporting passengers per kilometer is Rs 1.38. However, the railway charges a fare of only Rs 0.71 per kilometer.
“This means that the railway recovers only 53% of the cost, while the remaining 47% of the subsidy is worth Rs 60,000 crore per year, which is considered a social obligation,” he explained.
Affordability and discrimination concerns
Mr Vaishnaw also mentioned that passenger fares have not increased since 2020.
Lok Sabha then passed the 2025-26 Rail Department control, passing the requirements for grants.
When responding to the concerns raised by the MPs over discrimination in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal, Mr Vaishnaw said that record budget allocations have been provided to each state.
He also said the biggest hurdle in progress was land acquisition issues in some states. “In Kerala, only 23% of the land was acquired and only 23% of the land was acquired, how will this work continue to move forward under such conditions.
In the railway accident, Mr Vaishnaw said that during Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as railway minister, there were 234 railway accidents each year. Including cheating, the total is 464, the annual accident count is about 700, with an average of nearly 2 accidents per day. During her tenure at Ms. Mamata Banerjee, there were 165 railway accidents each year. 230 vehicles were added to derail, with a total of 395 accidents, which means an average of one accident per day. During Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge’s tenure, there were 118 railway accidents per year. The number of accidents has decreased to 291. Today, the number of accidents has dropped to 30, even if it is cheating, the total number is second only to 73.
Mr Vaishnaw said when starting the railway service between Jamu and Srinagar that the Railway Safety Specialist (CRS) inspection was completed and reports had been received. “The recommendations made in the report are being implemented and, once completed, will be approved for the operation of trains between Jamu and Srinagar,” he said.
Regarding the progress of the Kolkata Metro, he said the project began in 1972 and lasted until 2014, with only 28 kilometers completed in a 42-year period. “Instead, 38 km have been completed in the past 10 years,” the minister said.
Regarding the requirements for bullet training, Mr Vaishnaw said: “Unfortunately, during Congress, it was a constant idea.
publishing – March 19, 2025 at 12:47 am
