In the first nine months of the current financial year, ending in December 2023, Indian Railways achieved a remarkable milestone by utilizing around 75 percent of its capital expenditure budget, the highest ever recorded. During this period, Indian Railways spent a total sum of Rs 1,95,929.97 crore, which accounts for about three-quarters of the total capital expenditure allocated for Railways in this financial year, amounting to Rs 2.62 lakh crore.
To put this achievement into perspective, during the same period in December 2022, Indian Railways had utilized only Rs 1,46,248.73 crore for capital expenditure. This year’s capital expenditure utilization has seen a substantial increase of approximately 33 percent compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
Indian Railways is currently actively managing around 1,500 projects, involving a total investment of Rs 9.15 lakh crore. Among these, around 480 projects worth Rs 4,98,657 crore are under execution, demonstrating a very healthy project execution ratio of 54.5 percent. This stands in contrast to the national average implementation ratio of around 34.5 percent, highlighting Indian Railways’ efficient and swift execution of projects.
These investments are primarily directed towards various infrastructure projects, including the development of new railway lines, doubling of existing tracks, gauge conversion, and improvements in passenger amenities. Ensuring the safety of passengers remains a top priority for Indian Railways, with a significant amount of funding being allocated to enhance safety-related initiatives.
