Railways on divergent tracks: Gap between forecasts and reality is widening

The gap between forecasts and reality is widening for India's largest public-sector operator

Of the Rs 7.5 trillion the government plans to spend on capital expenditure in the next fiscal, one in every five rupees will go towards the Railways. Although this is lower than one in every four rupees the railways apportioned in 2020-21, it is still a considerable amount, given that the sector figures prominently in other government plans — the National Monetisation Pipe­line and the National Infrastructure Pipeline list the Railways as the second-largest sector after roads.

Budget mathematics tends to indicate a revival as well. Data released by the government shows that receipts are expected to grow 18.8 per