The ministries of Road Transport & Highways and Railways have exceeded the national average capital expenditure (capex) by spending 63 per cent and 57 per cent of Budget estimates (BE), respectively, in the first half of 2025-26 (FY26). The total capital expenditure for April-September of FY26 stood at 52 per cent of the BE, according to the latest data by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
A parliamentary committee has criticized Indian Railways for slow train speeds, discrepancies in 'superfast' fares and inadequate punctuality standards.
Gandhi alleged the increase in railway accidents in the last 10 years is a "direct result of the mismanagement and negligence of the Modi government, which has resulted in loss of lives and property of passengers on a daily basis".
Amid the rhythmic chug of the train, a chorus of voices rises, each bearing its tale of hope and despair.
Announcing the resignation of Dinesh Trivedi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he regretted the departure of the railway minister who had presented a budget which promised the "vision" outlined by his predecessor Mamata Banerjee.
The Centre's ambitious Rs 6-trillion National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) could fall short of yearly targets for the current fiscal year (FY22) and the next one as well (FY23), partly due to the long gestation period in monetising big-ticket railway infrastructure, Business Standard has learnt from sources in the finance and rail ministries. Officials say the major chunk of railway monetisation will happen from FY24 onwards because leasing some of the infrastructure, like stadiums and dedicated freight corridor, will not happen anytime soon. Rail infra is expected to be the second-biggest contributor to the NMP, with about Rs 1.52 trillion worth of assets to be monetised.
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the Indian Railways' wholly-owned listed subsidiary, is eyeing partnerships to offset recurring costs incurred in train operations, which is part of its two-year-old diversification from core catering and ticketing businesses. To this end, it is courting public sector undertakings such as Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) and others to create a special purpose vehicle for the routes for which IRCTC has bid. The Railway ministry opened bids for public private partnerships in passenger train operations in July 2021 and received bids to operate 29 pairs of trains with around 40 modern rakes that would entail an investment of Rs 7,200 crore.
Way before the rains arrived at Talwandi Sabo Power plant in Punjab, the one check the coal ministry was carrying out was the availability of coal stock with the generator. Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), the 1,980-Mw thermal power plant of Sterlite Energy, part of the Vedanta Group, which supplies about 15 per cent of Punjab's power, is one of the most difficult locations to manage coal supplies. It is nearly 1,700 km from the mines of Mahanadi Coalfields in Odisha, the longest coal route in India and possibly the trickiest as it cuts through the traffic heavy rail lines between Delhi and eastern India.
Gatimaan's record speed of 160 km per hour (kph) would be a marginal improvement over the maximum 150 kph clocked currently by Bhopal Shatabdi on the same route.
The amount constitutes 45 per cent of the railways' total wage bill.
The premium trains will be the focus area as the project has been the revenue generator for the loss-making passenger operations
From 5G to Tesla to Covid vaccine, 10 things will shape India's future.
Experts say Prabhu displays a clear intent of reforms but has not been able to fully shake-up the mammoth railway system.
DMRC-like SPV to be floated in a month for the Rs 98,000 crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor.
The railways ministry has a capex target of Rs 1 lakh crore for the financial year.
In the wake of the growing funding constraint for additional infrastructure creation in the railway sector, Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday held discussions with the industry on options to make private participation in the sector attractive. "Addressing the coordination gaps between the rail ministry and the industry is important to increase investments in rail projects. This is very urgent," Banerjee said.
The Union Cabinet will soon take a call on setting up Railway Development Authority of India, an independent regulator, which will decide on passenger and freight rates
Union Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi has blamed bureaucratic hurdles within his own ministry for the delay in fulfilling the railway ministry's ambitious plan to set up healthcare facilities along the rail network across the country.
Almost all infrastructure ministries continued spending on capex throughout the lockdown, even as the Centre tried to maintain some semblance of economic normalcy.
LHB (Linke Holfmann Bush) coaches made of stainless steel have more inbuilt safety features as they can absorb shock and impact of derailment more effectively and as a result do not topple, thus reducing the loss of lives in case of accident, said a senior Rail Ministry official.
Expresses inability to provide land for train terminal in Bandra-Kurla Complex, a cash cow for MMRDA
The losses ranged between Rs 33,204 and Rs 10,90,480.
Prabhu asks Indian Railways to save Rs 5,000 cr on energy bill.
The rail ministry's proposal to reduce transportation tariff for foodgrain by Rs 100 per wagon would not have any cooling effect on food inflation, which was close to 18 per cent for the week ended February 6.
This is expected to cut last-minute rush for reservations.
New service will also make waitlisted tickets a thing of the past.
Rail ministry pinning hopes on foreign partner and private capital
The telecom and banking departments along with the railways accounted for the maximum number of public grievances among the various arms of the government in the last three years.
The rail ministry has fitted 7,000 bio-toilets and the target is to fix 30,000 for the year.
New rates effective will be effective from 15 November.
The 61-year old is credited with initiating big-ticket reforms as power minister, including the Electricity Act of 2003, under then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Accounting for the first Advance Estimates for 2017-18, an additional planned borrowing of Rs 200 billion, the fiscal deficit could come in at 3.35 per cent of GDP.
Budget is likely to focus on infrastructure creation in the N-E
The high-speed train line in a region already well-connected by rail, road and airways may have to struggle to stay viable
The year 2015 has seen eight accidents because of derailments.
For first time in 8 yrs, stake sale proceeds could exceed Budget Estimates. ONGC's acquisition of HPCL alone could get the exchequer more than Rs 30,000 crore.
It will also provide support to the government for finalising the financial and implementation models.
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