CAG report puts Rlys in dock, operating ratio worst in 10 yrs

New Delhi, December 2

The Railways recorded an operating ratio of 98.44 per cent in 2017-18, the worst in the previous 10 years, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said in a report tabled in Parliament today.

The national auditor said the Railways would have ended up with a negative balance of Rs 5,676.29 crore instead of a surplus of Rs 1,665.61 crore, but for the advance received from NTPC and IRCON. 

“The Indian Railways’ operating ratio at 98.44 per cent in 2017-18 was the worst in the last 10 years,” it said.

“Exclusion of this advance would otherwise have increased the operating ratio to 102.66 per cent,” it added.

Almost 95 per cent of the profit from freight was utilised to compensate for the loss on passenger services.  The response to the “Give it Up” scheme was also not encouraging, with senior citizen concession accounting for 52.5 per cent of the total allowed by the national transporter. — PTI