Lok Sabha Question No. 293 (STARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Investments in Railways
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: NINONG ERING

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.293 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2017

## INVESTMENTS IN RAILWAYS

*293. SHRI  NINONG  ERING:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) the  detailed  action  plan  chalked  out  by  the  Government  to improve safety measures/standard of the Railways during the next three years;

(b) the  details  of  funds  allocated  to  the  Railways  between 2014-15 and 2015-16 and the manner in which the funds  have been utilised during the said period;

- (c) whether the budget allocation has been decreased and if so, the reasons therefor; and

(d) whether there has been under-investment in the Railways and if so, the measures taken to increase investments?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI SURESH PRABHAKAR PRABHU)

(a)  to  (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 293  BY SHRI  NINONG  ERING  TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 22.03.2017 REGARDING INVESTMENTS IN RAILWAYS

(a): Indian  Railways  accord  highest  priority  to  safety  in  train operations. Consequential train accidents have declined from 195 in 2006-07 to 135 in 2014-15 and further to 107 in 2015-16. Number of consequential  train  accidents  remained  at  a  level  of  99  during 2016-17 (from 1 st  April 2016 to 28 th  February 2017).  Accidents Per Million  Train  Kilometres,  an  important  index  of  safety,  has  come down from 0.23  in  2006-07  to  0.11  in  2014-15  and  further  to  0.10 (approximately) in 2015-16. All possible steps are undertaken on a continual  basis  including  up-gradation  of  technology  to  aid  safe running  of  trains.  These  include  replacement  of  over-aged  assets, elimination of unmanned  level  crossings,  adoption  of suitable technologies  for  upgradation  and  maintenance  of  track,  rolling stock,  signaling  and  interlocking  systems,  safety  drives,  greater emphasis on training of officials and inspections at regular intervals to  monitor  and  educate  staff  for  observance  of  safe  practices. Safety devices/systems used to prevent accidents include complete track  circuiting,  provision  of  Block  Proving  Axle  Counters  (BPAC), Train Protection Warning Systems (TPWS), Colour Light LED Signals,

Vigilance  Control  Device  (VCD),  usage  of  60  kg  rails  and  Prestressed Concrete Sleepers, long rail panels, better welding technology, digital types of machines for ultrasonic flaw detection (USFD), electronic monitoring of tracks using track recording cars (TRC) and portable oscillation monitoring system (OMS), progressive use of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) Coaches, Centre Buffer Coupler with Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Coaches, etc.

Other  measures  include  training  of  loco  pilots  and  other  safety category  staff,  improvement  of  their  working  conditions  including proper rest and periodic medical examinations etc. Besides, periodic  safety  drives,  inspections  as  per  laid  down  schedules, patrolling  of  tracks,  footplate  inspections  and  safety  reviews  at various levels are regularly conducted to continuously monitor and improve safety aspects of the Railways.

(b)  and  (c):    Allocation  of  funds  to  safety  related  activities  forms part of both Revenue and Capital segments of Railway Budget.  In 2014-15 and 2015-16 the outlays provided in Revised Estimates (RE) for safety related activities were ` 44046 crores and ` 46048 crores respectively.   As  against  this,  the  expenditure  in  these  years  was ` 42304  crores  and ` 45516  crores  respectively.  A  statement indicating  the  fund  allocated  and  expenditure  incurred  during  the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 is as follows: Expenditure on Safety Related Activities

( ` in crores)

| Revenue Expenditure(Gross) on Safety:               | RE 2014- 15   | Actual Expenditure 2014-15   | RE 2015- 16   | Actual Expenditure 2015-16   |
|-----------------------------------------------------|---------------|------------------------------|---------------|------------------------------|
| Repairs and Maintenance of Permanent Ways and Works | 10435         | 10282                        | 10945         | 10888                        |
| Repairs and Maintenance of Motive Powers            | 4892          | 4783                         | 5338          | 5273                         |
| Repairs and Maintenance of Carriages and Wagons     | 11313         | 11276                        | 12263         | 11952                        |
| Repairs and Maintenance of plant and Equipment      | 6434          | 6027                         | 6584          | 6254                         |
| Operating Expenses- Traffic-Minor head 600- Safety  | 24            | 11                           | 30            | 16                           |
| Total Revenue (Safety): Capital Expenditure         | 33098         | 32379                        | 35160         | 34383                        |
| Assets-Acquisition, Construction and Replacement:   |               |                              |               |                              |
| Road Safety Works - Level Crossings.                | 460           | 442                          | 518           | 470                          |
| Road Safety Works- ROBs/RUBs                        | 2017          | 1792^                        | 2144          | 2133^                        |
| Track Renewals                                      | 5047          | 5372                         | 5426          | 5586                         |
| Bridge Works                                        | 465           | 441                          | 491           | 520                          |
| Signalling and Telecom Works                        | 1033          | 1006                         | 853           | 894                          |
| Workshops (POH/IOH of                               | 1926          | 872                          | 1456          | 1530                         |

| Revenue Expenditure(Gross) on Safety:   | RE 2014- 15   | Actual Expenditure 2014-15   | RE 2015- 16   | Actual Expenditure 2015-16   |
|-----------------------------------------|---------------|------------------------------|---------------|------------------------------|
| Rolling stock)                          |               |                              |               |                              |
| Total Capital (Safety):                 | 10948         | 9925                         | 10888         | 11133                        |
| Total (Revenue + Capital) on Safety     | 44046         | 42304                        | 46048         | 45516                        |
| ^Includes funds under Budgetary Sources |               |                              |               |                              |

(d): Funds available have been generally inadequate compared to the  large  shelf  of  railway  projects  of  Doubling,  New  Lines,  Gauge Conversion, Traffic Facilities, Workshops, Signaling and Telecommunications etc.

However,  due  to  higher  Gross  Budgetary  Support  allocation and  Extra  Budgetary  Resources,  fund  allocation  to  Doubling,  New Lines,  Gauge  Conversion,  National  Projects,  Electrification  Traffic Facilities,  Workshops,  Signaling  and  Telecommunications  etc.  has been enhanced in the last two years.

In the Budget 2017-18, setting up of a Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha  Kosh  (RRSK)  has  been  announced  with  a  corpus  of ` 1  lakh  crores  over  a  period  of  5  years.    A  provision  of ` 20,000 crores has been made in budget estimate 2017-18 towards RRSK to fund essential safety works.

To augment investments, apart from obtaining higher budgetary support from the General Exchequer, increasing adequate revenue surplus to generate internal resource, Railways have been mobilizing  Extra  Budgetary  Resources  like  institutional  finance sourced  by  Indian  Railway  Finance  Corporation  (IRFC)  from  Life Insurance  Corporation  of  India,  investment  by  Strategic/Private investors under Public-Private Partnership policy, equity participation  by  State  Governments  and  Public  Sector  entities  in joint  ventures  with  Railways  and  funding  from  multilateral  lending agencies like World Bank.

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