Indian Railways Provides Affordable Travel to 720 Crore Passengers Annually with 57,200 Non-AC Coaches and 54 Lakh Non-AC Seats

• Indian Railways (IR), under the Ministry of Railways, carries >720 crore passengers annually with 57,200 non-AC coaches and ~54 lakh non-AC seats, positioning rail as India's mass-affordable mobility backbone.
• Despite cost pressures, IR offers an average 45% concession on every passenger ticket, with ₹60,466 crore subsidy in FY 2023-24 — relevant for GS-III (infrastructure) and GS-II (welfare).
• Recent product mix — Vande Bharat (semi-high-speed), Amrit Bharat (push-pull non-AC), Namo Bharat (Rapid Rail) — signals a tiered modernisation strategy.