Modern trains, old problems

While large-scale infrastructure development is taking place across the country, Indian Railways cannot be said to be standing still. Work on replacing old tracks, constructing new stations and modernising existing ones is under way across India. The Railways is also giving considerable emphasis to straightening tracks by removing curves, with the primary objective of increasing the speed of trains currently in operation. While this is certainly a welcome development, the condition of coaches on the majority of trains continues to remain largely unchanged. Barring Vande Bharat, metro trains and a few other superfast trains, the interiors and bathrooms of most other trains remain much as they were years ago. This is difficult to accept in a changing era.

Modernising train compartments to suit the times should be given the same importance as constructing tracks, bridges and new stations. The fact that this has not happened is also a reflection of the lack of adequate attention paid to the issue by those in charge. The introduction of Vande Bharat and metro trains alone cannot make the entire Indian Railways appear modern to the people. At the same time, railway authorities often fail to fully utilise even the funds allocated for improving basic amenities for train passengers. According to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, ₹11,479 crore allocated in the budget for improving passenger amenities between 2019 and 2024 was left unutilised.

The CAG found that funds allocated for passenger amenities such as toilets, drinking water, waiting rooms, seating, facilities for persons with disabilities, lifts and escalators remained unutilised over the years, amounting to ₹11,479 crore. In 2023–24 alone, ₹5,956 crore was left unutilised. This amounted to 42 per cent of the amount allocated for that year. The CAG has also pointed out that passenger amenities remain limited at the majority of railway stations in the country. Of the 512 railway stations inspected by the CAG, deficiencies in one or more basic amenities were found at 458 stations. The report submitted by the CAG to Parliament states that even drinking water is unavailable at some stations.

Kerala is one of the states that generates the highest ticket revenue for Indian Railways. Yet the reality is that railway development in the state has not kept pace with the revenue it generates. In the Thiruvananthapuram railway division, ticket revenue rose to ₹2,513.88 crore in 2025–26, an increase of 7.51 per cent over the previous year. However, the condition and amenities of trains departing from Thiruvananthapuram have not changed in proportion to the revenue generated.

Kazhakuttam, near Thiruvananthapuram, is a railway station that generates annual revenue of ₹4 crore. Even though its daily passenger count has crossed 8,000, the station has seen little development. The Railways has also failed to utilise funds that could have been used to transform Kazhakuttam into a station suited to an IT hub.