Railways subsidising train travel by 55%, spent Rs 62k cr last yr: Minister

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said that the Railways gives a concession of 55 per cent to its passengers and last year spent Rs 62,000 crore on the subsidy.

The minister, who arrived here on Tuesday on a two-day visit, said: "If the expenditure of the Railways is Rs 100, then only Rs 45 is charged from the passengers."

Last year, Railways gave a total subsidy of Rs 62,000 crore to different categories of passengers, he said.

Asked about any plans for new trains, Vaishnaw said there are under construction EMU trains, which are being built on the lines of the metro, which do not have an engine, but are powered from the second or the third coach.

The same arrangement will be made in main line EMU trains also, he said.

Vaishnaw, who is also the Minister for Communications, said that the 5G service of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will start in October.

The service is targeted to be launched in five major cities of the country in the next 500 days, he said.

Vaishnaw said that the government has given Rs 1.64 lakh crore to strengthen BSNL, which has been asked to focus completely on customers.