NEW DELHI, 18 March (H.S.) : The Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnav, expressed his

gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the Prime Minister's

keen interest in the railway sector, which has led to a historic budget

allocation of ₹2,52,000 crore for railways. He also extended his thanks to the

finance minister and the members of parliament who engaged in discussions on

this matter throughout the year. In his address to the Lok Sabha, Vaishnav

noted that the Railways faced significant financial challenges during the Covid-19

pandemic; however, it has now successfully navigated through that crisis.

Presently, the railways are capable of covering most of their expenses through

their own revenue.

He highlighted the significant expenditures of the

Railways, noting that ₹1,16,000 crore is allocated for capital expenditure,

₹66,000 crore for pension costs, ₹32,000 crore for energy expenses, and ₹25,000

crore for finance costs. The overall expenditure amounts to ₹2,75,000 crore,

whereas the total revenue generated by the railways is approximately ₹2,76,000

crore.

He highlighted the significant expenditures of the

Railways, noting that ₹1,16,000 crore is allocated for capital expenditure,

₹66,000 crore for pension costs, ₹32,000 crore for energy expenses, and ₹25,000

crore for finance costs. The overall expenditure amounts to ₹2,75,000 crore,

while the Railways' total income is approximately ₹2,76,000 crore. The minister

further mentioned that the Railways offers a subsidy of ₹7,000 crore to its

passengers and has not raised ticket prices since 2020. He emphasized that

railway fares remain lower than those in neighbouring countries.

Hindusthan Samachar / Meenakshi Bhattacharya