Minister Vaishnaw said

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday, New Delhi (PTI) March 17 (PTI) India Railway is in good financial condition.

Vaishnaw noted in a debate on the work of the Ministry of Railways that national transporters have successfully overcome the pandemic-related challenges, with passengers returning to train travel, passengers and cargo traffic showing growth.

During the 2023-24 period, the Indian Railways reported revenues of approximately ₹Rs 278 crore fee ₹275,000 million. The main expenditure components include employee expenses ( ₹1,160 million), pension ( ₹66,000 million), energy costs ( ₹320 million) and financing costs ( ₹250 million).

“Due to good performance, the railway is fulfilling its expenditures from its own revenues. … Overall, the financial situation is good and we are working to continuously improve it,” Vaishnaw said.

The minister stressed that railways subsidize passenger fares while earning revenue from freight and freight operations.

Although the actual cost per kilometer is ₹1.38, passengers only charge 72 Paths, and the total passenger subsidy is approximately ₹570 million from 2023-24.

Vaishnaw stressed that India’s train fares are still the lowest compared to neighboring countries.

“If you look at a 350km journey, ₹121 is the ticket price for the general class in India. ₹400 in Pakistan, ₹413 in Sri Lanka. This is the same in almost all categories, he said. “He added that fares have remained the same since 2020.

Energy costs have been “stable” ₹For $300 billion to $320 billion, the railway will benefit from electrification plans implemented after 2019.

The Minister also outlined several achievements, including increased passenger and cargo traffic.

By March 31 this year, Indian Railways is expected to rank 1.6 billion tons among the top three countries in the world, second only to China and the United States.

Other notable achievements include replacing approximately 50,000 kilometers of tracks, building more than 12,000 underpasses and overpasses, rebuilding 14,000 bridges, and manufacturing 41,000 Linke-Hofmann-Busch coaches (LHCs).

Vaishnaw added: “In the third semester, the Intallaal Coach Factory (ICF) coach will be replaced by the LHC coach.”

The minister announced that around 1,400 motorcycles would be built this year, noting that India has begun exporting subway coaches.