Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said Indian Railways will never be privatised, however, more private investment will have to be encouraged for better operations.

"Indian Railways will never be privatised. It is a property of every Indian and will remain with the Government of India," the minister said.

Replying to a discussion on Demands for Grants for Railways in Lok Sabha today, Goyal said passenger safety is a priority and not a single death has been registered in the last two years due to rail accidents. The last accident occurred in March 2019.

The minister also said employment opportunities can be created more if both public and private sectors work collaboratively.

Goyal said the government has also hiked investment in railways to ₹ 2.15 lakh crore in 2021-22 fiscal, from ₹ 1.5 lakh crore in 2019-20 fiscal.