The 2015 railway budget has evoked mixed responses from the country in general. While some have pointed to perceived deficiencies such as a failure to cut ticket prices or introduce new trains, others point to how the budget proposal focuses on speeding up trains and ensuring that the railways are cleaner and safer. Newsclick speaks to D Raghunandan from the All India Peoples Science Network and the Delhi Science Forum on whether the first rail budget presented by the Modi government actually means ‘acche din’ for rail users or whether the budget is merely an exercise in wishful thinking and false promises.