Where the government is talking about glinting surfaces its auditor has found grime. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s recently-released compliance audit of 512 non-suburban stations in 2023-24 found 90 percent of them deficient in essential amenities like drinking water, seating, toilets, shelters, fans and signage. Even high-revenue, high-footfall stations showed persistent deficiencies. Water from the taps of dozens of stations was found infected with E-coli bacteria. The audit took place more than a year after the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme was launched and its report was released just before a ‘Station Mahotsav’ was announced to showcase local heritage at 103 locations. Almost 300 crore journeys were logged through India’s 5,908 non-suburban railway stations in 2023-24. It only shows the massive effort required to improve basic amenities along the nation’s lifeline.