Lok Sabha has taken up discussion on the demands for grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways for 2026-27. Initiating the discussion, Tariq Anwar of Congress alleged that the government has failed to meet its own targets. He said, under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of one thousand 337 stations, the redevelopment work has been completed at only 160 stations.

Mr Anwar also alleged that the government is only making announcements in the name of passenger safety. He also expressed concern over the shortage of employment in the Indian Railways. Mr Anwar claimed that in 2010-11, there were a total of 13.28 lakh employees in the railways, which has now reduced to 11.72 lakh.

Ganesh Singh of the BJP said that over the last ten years, a significant transformation has taken place in the railways. He said that new technologies have been introduced, and the railway network is also being expanded. He added that earlier the railway budget was merely 63 thousand crore rupees in 2013-14, which has now increased to two lakh 78 thousand crore rupees.

Mr Singh said that in 2026-27, an amount of 36,722 crore rupees has been proposed for new railway lines and 37,750 crore rupees for doubling of railway tracks.