Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in the Rajya Sabha that Indian railway fares are lower compared to neighbouring countries

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday that India's rail fare is much less than it is in neighboring countries Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. He further said that till now, there has been a 90% fall in rail accidents since RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav served as Railway Minister.

Responding to the discussion on grant requirements under the purview of the Ministry of Railways for 2025-26, Vaishnaw said the country's transporter has been able to meet its expenses by emerging out of the Kovid pandemic challenges.

Amid uproar by the Opposition over being denied the opportunity to speak on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on Maha Kumbh, the minister said that the railways has taken several measures to control crowds at stations and is running several special trains during the festival season. According to him, due to Prime Minister Modi's attention to safety, accidents have come down by 90% since the time when Lalu Prasad held the ministry.

"During Lalu Prasad's tenure, there were about 234 accidents and 464 derailments in a year, that is, about 700 per year. During Mamata Banerjee's tenure, there were 165 accidents and 230 derailments, taking the number of accidents to 395 per year and during Mallikarjun Kharge's tenure, there were 118 accidents and 263 derailments, taking the total number of accidents to 381," he said. Vaishnaw also said that Kavach is being extensively operated on 10,000 locomotives and 15,000 km.

Vaishnaw said Prime Minister Modi focused on safety and brought in new technology and investments, and now it has come down to 30 accidents and 43 derailments, which is 90% less than the earlier period and 80% less than 2014-15. He said the railways have not increased fares since 2020 and since then the fares have been increasing continuously.

"If we compare with neighboring countries, our fares are very low. For a 350-km journey, the fare in India is Rs 121, in Pakistan Rs 436, in Bangladesh Rs 323, and in Sri Lanka Rs 413," Vaishnaw said. The minister said the prices in European countries are more than five times higher.

Describing the budget as historic for the railways, Vaishnaw said the national transporter had to face a lot of difficulties during the Covid pandemic and is now in a healthy position. He said the railways is now meeting almost all its expenses from its own income. The minister also elaborated on the steps taken by his ministry to manage the crowd, including running special trains during holidays.

"Last year during Holi, we ran 604 special trains, 13,000 special trains were run during last summer and 8,000 such trains during Diwali and Chhath. 17,330 special trains were run during Maha Kumbh and this year, 1,160 special trains were run during Holi," he said.

Recalling the tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station last month, Vaishnaw said that several permanent steps are being taken, including setting up holding areas at 60 stations, installing CCTV cameras, building war rooms and foot over bridges, etc.

He also said that India is among the top three leading countries and 1.6 billion tonnes of freight will be transported this year. Vaishnaw also said that five lakh people have been employed in the railways and one lakh more people are being recruited. Later, the Lok Sabha passed the demands for grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways for 2025-26.