Indian Railways on-time performance drops from 90% to 73.62% in two years

Indian Railways, often described as the lifeline of the nation and one of the world’s largest rail networks, continues to face passenger complaints about coach cleanliness and food hygiene. However, the most persistent concern raised by passengers each year is train punctuality.

A parliamentary committee has now flagged a sharp fall in punctuality in recent years. The committee observed that punctuality dropped from 90% in 2021–22 to 73.62% in 2023–24.

It also questioned what it called a “misleading” method of recording train timings. Of the 6.22 lakh trains audited, 1.82 lakh failed to meet the 15-minute punctuality threshold set by Indian Railways, according to the panel’s report.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), in its report “Punctuality and Travel Time in Train Operations in Indian Railways,” presented to the Lok Sabha, examined punctuality performance across all train categories and suggested several corrective measures.

It noted that delays are recorded despite India’s relatively lenient 15-minute threshold, compared with countries such as Japan, where delays are measured in seconds, and the Netherlands, where the benchmark is three minutes.

“The Committee are of the view that this narrow approach to punctuality monitoring fails to account for delays experienced en route, leading to an incomplete and often misleading picture of actual train performance. The existing allowance of a 15-minute delay within Indian Railways’ punctuality benchmark further dilutes the accuracy of performance assessment.

Any consumer — whether a passenger travelling by train or sending goods by freight — expects the train to reach its destination at the time given in the timetable. The 15-minute threshold is too large. The current yardstick for punctuality being adopted by Indian Railways does not reflect public expectations.

The Committee, therefore, recommend that Indian Railways review and revise punctuality assessment through integrated monitoring at originating and intermediate stations alongside the existing termination station. The Committee also desire to be informed about the steps taken in this direction,” the report stated.

The panel further observed that punctuality performance declined again to 73.62% in 2023–24, before improving to 78.67% in 2024–25 (up to August).

Questioning the recording methodology, the report said, “The Committee notes from audit observations that IR measures the punctuality of trains at terminating stations, whereas in other countries it is measured at the originating point, intermediate stations and terminating stations. Besides, for measuring punctuality, IR provides an allowance of 15 minutes’ delay with reference to the scheduled time.”

The committee acknowledged the introduction of high-speed trains such as Vande Bharat Express and technologically advanced coaches, but pointed out that most of the network is still served by conventional express, superfast and passenger trains.

Key findings

The committee noted that, on average, 13,15,456 trains per year were recorded in the Integrated Coaching Management System (ICMS). Of these, only 29.64% (3,89,877 trains) arrived on time.

As many as 20.17% (2,65,391 trains) arrived before time, while 50.19% (6,60,188 trains) were delayed.

Punctuality stood at 69.23% in 2018–19, before improving significantly to 90.48% in 2021–22. It later declined to 73.62% in 2023–24, before rising again to 78.67% in 2024–25 (up to August).

Train delays were reduced by 5 percentage points in 2024–25 compared with 2023–24. The delay rate fell from 26% in 2023–24 to 21% in 2024–25.

ICMS data, which captures incidents causing operational delays, shows that of 33 factors responsible for punctuality losses, 27 are within Railways’ control, while six are external.

External factors contributed 12.89% of delays during 2017–19. Internal factors accounted for 66% and could have been better managed, the panel said.

Panel recommendations

The committee urged the Ministry of Railways and Indian Railways to engage external agencies to help improve the average speeds of express and other trains, and to make punctuality a central pillar of railway operations.

It reiterated that the 15-minute allowance weakens performance assessment and recommended revising punctuality evaluation through integrated monitoring at originating and intermediate stations, in addition to terminating stations.

The Ministry was asked to prepare a zonal plan to raise both average and maximum speeds of passenger and freight trains without compromising safety.

The committee suggested a gradual increase of 5–10 km/h in the average speed of express trains every few years to cut long-distance travel times.

The panel also called for time-bound implementation of measures to ensure seamless freight movement and for developing a freight timetable guaranteeing timely delivery.

It recommended a detailed study of internal delay factors and swift corrective action, while also exploring ways to mitigate external disruptions.

The Ministry was advised to examine the feasibility of laying additional lines in land-available sections to allow halting or standing of trains without obstructing through traffic.

Finally, the committee recommended a comprehensive review of the timetabling process using integrated, simulation-based digital systems and AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools.

It also called for measures to eliminate “before time” arrivals by reducing excess running time provisions, and to explore loop lines on congested routes to ease traffic and improve speeds.