New Delhi, Jan 8 (FN Bureau) On track to achieve its capex target, national transporter Indian Railways has spent Rs 1,92,446 crore or 76% of the gross budgetary support for the current financial year 2024-25 (FY25) in the first nine months of the fiscal to ramp up its network, replace old assets and modernising overall rail infrastructure. “Keeping pace with the budgetary allocation, Railways has spent 76 percent of its budgetary outlay within the first nine months and four days of the current fiscal year,” Ministry of Railways said in a statement on Wednesday. The total capital expenditure (capex) for Railways in Budget Estimate 2024-25 is Rs 2,65,200 crore with gross budgetary support of Rs 2,52,200 crores.
As per official figures, the national transporter has spent Rs 40,367 crore on rolling stock in the first nine months of FY25, accounting for 79% of the budgetary provision for the year. In safety related works, out of budgetary allocation of Rs 34,412 crore for the year, the amount spent in the first nine months is about Rs 28,281 crore or 82% of the allocated amount. “Charting out well on this path of development, Indian Railways is committing taxpayer’s money in capital expenditure to create state of the art infrastructure for generations to come, thus contributing in the direction of “Future ready” Indian Railways as we all progress towards Viksit Bharat,” the official statement said.
The statement noted that the fruits of consistent capital expenditure for the last one decade are visible in the form of 136 Vande Bharat trains, about 97% electrification of broad gauge, laying of new lines, gauge conversion, doubling of track, traffic facilities work, investment in PSUs and metropolitan transport.”This capital expenditure has led to faster, safer and world-class travel experience at nominal cost to billions of Indians,” it said.