Indian Railways has given over 60 thousand crore rupees as subsidy in the financial year 2023-24 to keep passenger travel affordable. Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, at the Lok Sabha, said that the subsidy given to the passengers amounts to 45 percent of the total cost of passenger travel. He highlighted that the fares of Indian Railways are among the lowest in the world.

 

 

The Minister noted that compared to neighbouring countries, India is providing the most affordable transportation to its passengers.

 

 

Due to several measures taken by the government, the freight loading of Indian Railways has increased from 1,233 Million Tonnes (MT) in 2020-21 to 1,617 MT in the last financial year, making it second largest freight-carrying railway in the world.