From IRFC, Jupiter Wagons to IRCON, RVNL: Here’s how railway stocks are performing on Wednesday

According to media reports, analysts have said that there is a rise in investor sentiment towards the railway stocks. Some reports have also suggested that the government could increase its outlay towards railways in the upcoming Union Budget in February. 

Shares of IRCTC were trading flat up, while RVNL shares rose 0.76% and IRFC was up 0.22% on Wednesday. Further, Titagarh Rail Systems jumped 2.65%, while IRCON International advanced 0.42%.

On the other hand, RailTel Corporation (-0.56%), Texmaco Infrastructure (-1.03%), and Jupiter Waggons (-0.18%) were trading lower.

Revision in railway fares

Indian Railways announced a revised fare structure starting from December 26, 2025. Under the revised railway fare, passengers travelling up to 500 km will have to pay an additional ₹10 for both AC and non-AC coaches. Meanwhile, short-distance journeys remain unaffected, as there is no fare increase for journeys under 215 km in ordinary class.

For journeys beyond 215 km, there will be a fare hike of 1 paise per km in ordinary class and 2 paise per km for Mail/Express non-AC and AC classes. Indian Railways has clarified that its move to increase fares, mainly on longer routes, is aimed at generating revenue to meet increased expenses. The fare hike is projected to boost railway earnings by ₹600 crore, helping cover rising manpower costs and other expenses.

CAG report on railways

According to a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), various railway zones failed to recover outstanding dues amounting to ₹4,087.33 crore from 269 private siding owners till March 2023.

A siding is an extension track that directly connects the main railway line with company premises and is helpful in eliminating freight handling at the stations.

The Railway Board had instructed all zones in 2017 to ensure recovery of the dues from private siding owners, responding to the past audit coverage.

According to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), there are three types of sidings—public, private and assisted—out of which the private sidings belong to private parties, and their construction and maintenance are carried out by the Railways on a chargeable basis.

In its report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the CAG said, “As of March 2023, there were a total of 1,752 sidings across Indian Railways, out of which 1,007 sidings (57.5%) were operational private sidings.”

“An amount of ₹4,087.33 crore remained unrealised from the siding owners towards various charges as of March 2023, which comprises ₹3,321.40 crore (including interest) towards Land License Fee recoverable from the siding owners,” it added, referring to its past audit coverage of 2015.

The recent audit concerning private sidings was conducted in 2023-24 for the period between 2018-2019 and 2022-2023. The auditors selected 269 out of 1,007 operational private sidings across various zones for detailed examinations.