Ashwini Vaishnav said on Indian Railways: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav gave information about the achievements and future schemes of Indian Railways during the discussion on the functioning of the Ministry of Railways in the Rajya Sabha. He said, ‘Indian Railways is providing safe and high quality services to passengers on affordable fare. Rail fare in India is less than neighboring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and is 10-20 times cheaper than Western countries.
Examples of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, ‘Indian Railways has not increased passenger fares since 2020. Today, India is the cheapest in India compared to neighboring countries. Giving an example, the Union Minister said that at present, the rail fare to cover a distance of 350 km in India is Rs 121, while the rail fare for equal distance in Pakistan is Rs 436, Rs 323 in Bangladesh and Rs 413 in Sri Lanka. He further said, “If we look at European countries, their fare is 20 times more than India.”
Railway is giving 47% subsidy to passengers
The Railway Minister said, ‘The cost of traveling per kilometer in the train is Rs 1.38, while only 73 paise is being collected from the passengers, that is, the railway is giving 47% subsidy to the passengers. In the financial year 2022-23, passengers were given a subsidy of ₹ 57,000 crore, which increased to about ₹ 60,000 crore in 2023-24.
Railway Minister said- pay attention to security
Speaking about security in Parliament, the Railway Minister said, ‘Our focus is on railway safety. Moving in this direction, Indian Railways has made many technical changes. This includes long rail, electronic interlocking, fog safety equipment and many other big steps which are being taken continuously in Indian Railways.
General coaches extended for the convenience of poor passengers
The Railway Minister said, ‘Railways are focused on the facility of poor passengers. For this reason, the number of general coaches is being increased by two and a half times as compared to AC coaches. Currently 17,000 non-AC coaches are being manufactured. The financial condition of the railway is also improving. At present, the revenue of the railway is Rs 2.78 lakh crore while the expenditure is Rs 2.75 lakh crore.
Railway achievements were also discussed
Talking about the achievements of the railway, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, ’12, 000 rail flyover and rail underbridge have been constructed, which has benefited the country a lot. Apart from this, 34,000 km railway track has been constructed, which is more than the entire rail network of Germany. 50,000 km of old tracks have been removed and new tracks have been laid, which has improved a major improvement in security.
