<h1>Audit finds national railway understated 2022-23 working expenditure by over Rs 5,000 crore, shifting profit to loss</h1> The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report found that the national railway operator understated its 2022-23 working expenditure by over Rs 5,000 crore: accounts showed a reported net profit of Rs 2,517.38 crore, but cross-subsidisation records reveal a net loss of Rs 5,257.07 crore. Reported working expenditure was Rs 2,37,659.58 crore against earnings of Rs 2,40,176.96 crore, while cross-subsidisation figures put total expenditure at Rs 2,45,393.71 crore and receipts at Rs 2,40,136.64 crore. The understatement inflated the operating ratio (reported 98.10%; adjusted 101.33%), and passenger services incurred a Rs 60,041.18 crore loss offset by a Rs 54,784 crore freight profit.