Indian Railways dismisses media report on rail tracks as baseless

A recent media report on country's railway infrastructure has been dismissed by the Indian Railways as 'baseless.'

National daily, the Times Of India came out with a report citing that 98% of the railway tracks in India were built between 1870 and 1930 before the country gained its independence.

The spokesperson for Indian Railways clarified and tweeted, "We reject this Times of India article as baseless & devoid of facts. Irresponsible journalism at such a sensitive juncture is not something expected from a media house of your stature.”

The spokesperson further said that the length of the running track in 1950-51 was 59,315 KMs while it stands at 1,07,832 KMs in 2022-23.

We reject this @timesofindia article as baseless & devoid of facts. Irresponsible journalism at such a sensitive juncture is not something expected from a media house of your stature.

Here is a comparison of Running Track kilometres:

1950-51: 59315 KM

2022-23: 1,07,832 KM https://t.co/UB68iDy1dV

— Spokesperson Railways (@SpokespersonIR) June 6, 2023

The data provided by the Indian Railways also show that India's track length has roughly doubled since independence, refuting the Times of India's assertions in their report.

The infrastructure of Indian Railways has been under intense scrutiny in the wake of the fatal mishap in Balasore, Odisha. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said that the accident took place due to a change in electronic interlocking. Meanwhile, the CBI has taken over the probe into the accident from the GRP. A 10-member CBI team along with some Central Forensic Science Laboratory members reached the spot at Bahanaga station and visited the main line and loop line for inspection. Some members of the team also visited the signal room and held discussions with the officials there.