Railways spent 76% of its budgetary outlay within first nine months: Ministry

NEW DELHI: The Railways has spent 76 percent of its budgetary outlay within the first nine months of the current fiscal, the ministry said in a press statement.

"According to a latest expenditure report of Indian Railways till January 5, 2025, heavy investment is made in capacity augmentation, a reality aiming to make rail travel a world class experience in India," it added.

According to the Railway Ministry, the total capex for railways in the Budget Estimate 2024-25 is Rs 2,65,200 crore with Gross Budgetary Support of Rs 2,52,200 crores. Out of it, Rs 1,92,446 crores have already been spent.

"For rolling stock, the budgetary provision was for Rs 50,903 crores. Out of it, Rs 40,367 crores were spent by 5th January, which is 79 per cent of the budget, allotted for rolling stock," it said.

"In safety-related works, out of budgetary allocation of Rs 34,412 crore, the amount spent is Rs 28,281, which is 82 percent of the allocated amount," the ministry added.

The press note stated that the government has prioritised transforming Railways into a world class entity, which ferries on an average "2.3 crore Indians" daily at an affordable cost.

It said the fruit of the consistent Capital Expenditure (Capex) for the last one decade are visible in the form of 136 Vande Bharat trains, about 97 percent electrification of broad gauge, laying of new lines, gauge conversion, doubling of tracks, traffic facilities work, investment in PSUs and metropolitan transport.

It also mentioned the ongoing safety and speed trial of Vande Bharat sleeper trains and said rail commuters are all set to experience world class travel very soon for long distance journeys too.

"This will revolutionise the overall travel experience. This transformation of Indian Railways would not have been possible without the visionary foresight of Viksit Bharat & its prompt execution by spending in the modernization projects in a mission mode by Indian Railways," the press note said.

It added, "Despite challenges like India being the most populous nation with its vast geographical, cultural & linguistic diversity, Indian Railways is implementing a vision of transformative governance to build a new, modern & connected India."