NEW DELHI: Indian Railways set to become one of the world’s top three freight carriers by March 31, handling 1.6 billion tons of cargo, says Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Vaishnaw highlighted that train fares in India are significantly lower—10 to 20 times cheaper—compared to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and several Western nations.
Speaking on the subsidy issue, the minister said that the cost of train travel per kilometre in India is Rs 1.38, but passengers are charged only 73 paise and rest amount is met through a subsidy of 47% being provided by the government. He also informed the House that passengers received a subsidy of Rs 57,000 crore during the financial year of 2022-23 and it increased to Rs 60,000 crore in 2023-24.
“If you look at a journey of 350 km, Rs 121 is the fare of general class in India, Rs 400 in Pakistan, Rs 413 in Sri Lanka. This is the same in almost all categories," he asserted, adding that fares have remained unchanged since 2020.
Highlighting the railway’s noticeable achievements over a decade, the minister said that the Indian Railway is exporting the train components including metro and passenger train coaches to other countries including UK and others. The coaches made for metro trains are being exported to Australia, bogies under frames (basic structure) to UK, Saudi Arabia, France, and Australia, while railway propulsion parts are exported to France, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Germany and Italy.
He also informed the Upper House that passenger coaches of train are also being exported now to Mozambique, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka while locomotives are being exported to Mozambique, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
“Not only all this, the 100 locomotives, which are being manufactured at the Marhowrah factory in Bihar will soon be exported also”, the minister announced, adding that the rail wheels being built in Tamil Nadu will also be exported soon.
“This year, India has produced 1,400 locomotives, surpassing the combined production of the U.S. and Europe. And, more than that, 200,000 new wagons have been added to the fleet”, the Minister said, adding that the Indian Railways will transport 1.6 billion tons of cargo during 2024-25, making it one of the world's top three freight carriers, alongside China and the U.S.
This underscores the increasing capacity of Indian Railways and its crucial role in the logistics sector.
Citing figures, the minister said that 41,000 LHB coaches have been manufactured with a strong focus on railway safety. “During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term, all ICF coaches will be replaced with LHB coaches. The implementation of long Rails, electronic interlocking, fog safety devices and the ‘Kavach’ safety system is progressing rapidly”, he claimed.
He also informed the members that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave increased the financial support to railways to Rs 2.5 lakh crore compared to the earlier amount of Rs 25,000 crore.
Overall, the railway are able to meet their major expenses through their won income now including staff cost which runs into Rs 1.16 lakh crore, pension bill around Rs 66,000 crore and energy cost of Rs 32000 crore and others”, he asserted. He said that enhanced financial support, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s keen interest in revamping railways to world class with quality services with full safety, has led to significant infrastructure improvements, including the construction of 50 Namo Bharat trains designed for short-distance travel, offering both AC and non-AC options.
Vaishaw pointed out that ten crucial steps have been taken to prevent incidents like the New Delhi railway station accident because of the government’s commitment to safety.
During a discussion in the Rajya Sabha, the minister further stated that Indian Railways is providing safe and high-quality services to passengers at affordable fares while securing a leading position globally. Speaking about a recent incident at New Delhi Railway Station, the Railway Minister informed the House that a high-level committee is investigating the unfortunate accident.
“All CCTV footage and relevant data have been secured and approximately 300 individuals have been interviewed to verify facts. Ten critical measures have been taken to prevent such incidents in the future”, he claimed.
Reiterating the Modi government’s commitment to serving the poorest sections of society, the minister emphasised that the number of general coaches is being increased to 2.5 times that of AC coaches. “Under the current production plan, 17,000 non-AC coaches are scheduled for manufacturing. The Railway sector has successfully overcome challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with passenger numbers increasing and growth observed in both passenger and freight transportation”, he said.
He also assured that Indian Railways will continue to evolve into a more modern, safe and environmentally friendly transportation system in the future.