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Varsha Gaikwad (Congress), starting the debate on the Railway Ministry's 2025-26 demand for grants, criticised the claims of a "record-breaking" railway budget, alleging that the situation is dire, with the railways operating on a "ventilator." Gaikwad pointed out that the budget's annual expenditure is nearly equal to its revenue, and its operational ratio has soared to 98.43%. Expressing concern over the rise in railway accidents, Gaikwad remarked, "It seems the railway minister is trying to shield himself with a Raksha Kavach."
In contrast, Janardan Singh Sigriwal (BJP) lauded the railways for increasing connectivity and modernisation.
TMC's Shatabdi Roy, while lamenting the frequent accidents, emphasised that no amount of compensation could bring back the lives lost in these tragedies.
In the Rajya Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Monday that the Railways will replace all Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) coaches with LHB (Linke-Hofmann-Busch) coaches by 2029 to enhance safety. Vaishnaw also confirmed that the subsidy given to passengers remains unchanged, with the government continuing to bear a 47% subsidy on fares.
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The minister highlighted the Railways' growing international presence, exporting metro coaches, bogies, locomotives, and engines to various countries, including Australia, the UK, and France. He also noted the forthcoming export of "Made in Bihar" locomotives.
Vaishnaw added train accidents have come down from 698 in 2005-06 to 73 today, showing a 90% reduction. Vaishnaw said during Lalu Prasad's tenure as the Railway Minister in 2005-06, 698 cases, including 234 accidents, took place on an average of 2 per day. There were 395 cases with 165 accidents, an average of 1 per day, during Mamata Banerjee's tenure, he added.
Vaishnaw said during Mallikarjun Kharge's tenure, the total cases stood at 381, including 118 accidents.
