New Delhi

The last ten years have been a “golden decade” for the Indian Railways, with phenomenal performance across freight, passenger services and capital investment, former Member (Traffic), Railway Board, Mohammad Jamshed has said.

Speaking to ANI, Jamshed noted that freight movement has risen sharply over the past decade, from about 8,000 million tonnes to nearly 12,000 million tonnes, while overall railway revenue has increased from Rs 8 lakh crore to around Rs 18 lakh crore.

“The last 10 years have been the golden decade of the Indian Railways. The performance delivered by the Railways is phenomenal,” he said, highlighting strong growth on both freight and passenger fronts.

Jamshed said Indian Railways has performed particularly well in the post-COVID period, achieving record freight loading. On the passenger side, he noted that while traffic has not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, it continues to show steady improvement.

“During this year, the freight loading target is an ambitious 17 million tonnes, and the passenger revenue target is around Rs 92,000 crore,” he said.

Emphasising safety as a cornerstone of transport infrastructure, Jamshed said sustained investments have led to improved safety outcomes. “There have been fewer accidents than last year. Significant efforts and investments have been made in safety-related works, including Mission Kavach,” he added.

Expressing confidence in Railways’ ability to meet its targets, the former Railway Board member said around one-third of revenue comes from passenger services, while two-thirds is generated through freight operations.

“Freight demand is derived demand. Indian Railways does not generate its own demand; it depends on how different commodities and sectors perform. Despite this challenge, I am confident the Railways will be able to achieve its targets,” he said.

Jamshed also lauded the government’s support through Gross Budgetary Support (GBS), stating that the Railways has fully utilised the capital expenditure allocations over the years.

“Ten years ago, Railways faced capacity constraints and could not meet industry demand. Investments through GBS enabled infrastructure expansion, including new lines, electrification, gauge conversion, metro projects, road overbridges and dedicated freight corridors,” he said.

He noted that capital expenditure has grown phenomenally over the last decade, with a major shift in recent years as Railways no longer relies heavily on market borrowings for capex.

“In the last two years alone, around Rs 2.5 lakh crore each year has been allocated for capital expenditure. Railways has been able to fully utilise these funds,” he said.

Based on this utilisation record, Jamshed said Indian Railways has a strong case for enhanced capital allocations in the upcoming budget.

“With 100 per cent utilisation of capex allocations, Railways certainly has a claim for increased capital expenditure,” he added.

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The Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on January 28, with the Union Budget to be presented on February 1.