Over the past five years, the Railways has allocated a sum exceeding Rs 1.22 lakh crore towards the substantial replacement and enhancement of railway assets, including aging tracks and bridges across the country, as part of an initiative to enhance safety. This comprehensive upgrade initiative encompasses locomotives, wagons, and signaling equipment, aiming to ensure secure and efficient rail services. The Railways emphasizes that this effort is in addition to routine asset inspections to guarantee their operational fitness, with outdated assets systematically replaced by new technology based on age and condition.
During the stated period, the Railways has utilized a total expenditure of Rs 1,22,865 crore for the replacement and upgrade of assets, with Rs 78.501 crore sourced from Gross Budgetary Support and the remaining from Internal Generation and Extra Budget Resources within the Ministry of Railways. The outlay for the budget estimate in 2023-24 is Rs 29,325 crore. The Railways outlines specific yearly expenditures for asset replacement and upgrade, noting amounts such as Rs 20,407 crore in 2018-19, Rs 18,557 in 2019-20, Rs 28,529 in 2020-21, Rs 28,517 in 2021-22, and Rs 26,855 in 2022-23. For safety in high-speed train operations, capital expenditure is allocated for track replacement under the Plan Head 31-Track Renewals, while expenditure on rolling stock replacement is covered under Plan Head 21-Rolling Stock.
Regarding expenditures, the Railways specifies that Rs 9,690 crore was spent on track renewals in 2018-19, Rs 9,391 in 2019-20, Rs 13,523 crore in 2020-21, Rs 16,558 crore in 2021-22, and Rs 16,325 crore in 2022-23. Additionally, Rs 1,815 crore was allocated for the rolling stock program in 2018-19, Rs 1,178 crore in 2019-20, Rs 3,466 crore in 2020-21, Rs 2,870 crore in 2021-22, and Rs 2,034 crore in 2022-23.
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