Railways spent 80 pc of gross budgetary support in first three quarters of current fiscal
New Delhi (PTI): The Indian Railways has spent 80.54 per cent, which is Rs 2,03,138 crore of the total gross budgetary support (GBS) of Rs 2,52,200 crore, as of the end of December 2025, the ministry said on Monday.
"This represents a 6.54 per cent increase in GBS utilisation compared to the same period last year (December 2024). The expenditure has primarily focused on safety measures, capacity enhancement, infrastructure modernisation and passenger amenities," it added in a press note.
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Officials said that Indian Railways is delivering faster, safer and world-class rail travel at an affordable cost across India by transforming itself into a future-ready organisation aligned with the vision of a modern and connected nation.
Demonstrating this focused approach, the Indian Railways has maintained a strong trend in the utilisation of allocated GBS outlays for 2025-26, they added.
The ministry's press note said 84 per cent of the allocated funds have been utilised in the category of safety-related works.
According to the ministry, out of Rs 1,09,238 crore allocated for capacity augmentation, Rs 76,048 crore (69 per cent) has been spent.
"Customer amenities have seen 80 per cent utilisation, with expenditure amounting to Rs 9,575 crore till December 2025," it added.
Outlining the results of consistent capital expenditure (CAPEX) over the last decade, the ministry said these efforts have resulted in the launch of 164 Vande Bharat train services, 30 Amrit Bharat train services, implementation of the Kavach automatic train protection system, over 99 per cent electrification of the broad-gauge network and extensive works covering new lines, gauge conversion, track doubling, traffic facilities, investments in PSUs and metropolitan transport systems.
"These initiatives have significantly improved speed, safety and passenger comfort, while keeping rail travel affordable. With the Vande Bharat Sleeper train set for inauguration shortly, the Indian Railways is poised to transform long-distance rail travel," the press note said.
"These trends indicate that the Ministry of Railways' GBS expenditure plan is on track, with infrastructural works being executed expeditiously. They also suggest that the targets for FY 2025-26 are likely to be fully achieved," it added.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
