Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha on Monday that rail accidents have decreased by 90 per cent since 2005-2006 while reaffirming the government’s commitment to minimising the root causes of mishaps.

Replying to a discussion on the working of the Railway Ministry, he said the Railways are an environmentally friendly mode of transportation, producing 90 per cent fewer emissions than road transport even when diesel engines were used. With electrical traction, emissions are eliminated totally, he noted.

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By March 31 this year, the Indian Railways is projected to rank among the world’s top three countries in cargo carrying capacity at 1.6 billion tonnes, behind only China and the United States.

Dwelling on the advantages of electrification, the minister noted that savings on diesel since 2018-19 have amounted to Rs 29,000 crore. The national transporter has successfully overcome pandemic-related challenges with passengers returning to train travel and both passenger and cargo traffic showing growth, the minister noted.

He further said that the Railways is fulfilling its expenses from its own income because of good performance. ”…Overall, the financial condition is good and we are trying to improve it on a constant basis,” Vaishnaw stated.

He emphasised that Indian train fares remain the lowest as compared to its neighbouring countries. “If you look at a journey of 350 km, Rs 121 is the fare of general class in India, Rs 400 in Pakistan, Rs 413 in Sri Lanka. This is the same in almost all categories,” he said, adding that the fares have remained unchanged since 2020.

The minister announced that approximately 1,400 locomotives will be manufactured this year while sharing that India has begun exporting metro coaches.

Earlier in the day, Opposition parties, including the Congress and the TMC, walked out of the House after their demand for a discussion on the Election Commission’s alleged lapses in issuing multiple duplicate voter ID cards and delimitation was disallowed.

Leader of the House JP Nadda welcomed Rajya Sabha Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar Back to the House post-recovery. “On my behalf and on behalf of the entire House, I extend my heartfelt greetings of Holi to you. You have come to the House for the first time today after recovering your health. On my behalf and on behalf of the House, I congratulate you for your recovery and for taking up your duties again and wish you all the best!” he wrote in a post.

Dhankhar was discharged from the AIIMS, Delhi on March 12 after he was admitted to the hospital following complaints of uneasiness and chest pain on March 9.

The Lok Sabha discussed important legislative matters, including the presentation of various reports from standing committees. The Demands for Grants under the Ministry of Railways for 2025-26 was also taken up for discussion and voting.

The Parliament Budget Session resumed today after the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned last Wednesday on account of Holi.

Before the Holi break in Parliament, both Houses saw fiery discussions on the Manipur budget and NEP 2020 row. Further, the Opposition raised multiple protests demanding the discussion of the alleged voter ID manipulation row in Parliament.

A row also erupted after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s address in the House, with DMK accusing the Education Minister of trying to impose Hindi language in Tamil Nadu.

The second leg of the budget session of Parliament began on March 10 and will continue till April 4.