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railways

Corporation (IRCTC) will start running
between Delhi-Lucknow from October
this year.
Interacting with reporters, Yadav
said, “We are going to work on the speed
enhancement of the Delhi-Mumbai and
Delhi-Howrah corridor to 160 kmph
in the next four years. The Eastern and
Western Dedicated Freight Corridor will
be completed by 2021 which will have a
speed of 100 kmph. Once these dedicat-
ed freight and passenger corridors are
operational, we can introduce more
trains to private players.”
He said allowing trains to private
players is important for the Railways to
sustain and grow. However, the mainte-
nance of the train coaches, locomotives
will be done by the Railways.
Railways will provide its own crew of
loco pilots and guards to run those trains,
and the private players will have the re-
energy usage in a big way in the near Railway minister maining of the services such as ticketing,
future. In India, the social importance entertainment, and other services on
of the Railways will grow with climate Piyush Goyal has ruled board the trains. He said the privatiza-
change concerns, leading to greater use out privatising the tion plan will take time. “We have started
of public transport. The Railways has tak- working on the plan and many compa-
en the positive step of shifting to renew- national transporter nies have shown interest in the idea.” “We
able energy over time, and so is a public till BJP is in power and have already given two Tejas Express
good whose use goes beyond paying trains to IRCTC,” he said. “The first train
its keep. said the government to run on a private basis will be Tejas Ex-
On the other hand, private owner- press between Delhi-Lucknow and it will
ship tends to improve services and cut was exploring ways to start running from October this year.”
costs, particularly under conditions of bring in larger private Many companies are supportive of
competition. When the public suffers Railways’ idea of providing pick-and-
due to the perceived laid-back attitude investments in the drop taxi facility for the train passengers,
of a state-owned enterprise, support for sector carrying the baggage of the passengers,
privatization grows. For instance, be- more entertainment system on board
sides concerns like cleanliness, catering, the train, good food and hotel, and taxi
and mishaps, the railways have to ensure tion includes intercity, long-distance, bookings, he said.
ensuring competition within a public and suburban routes. The railways have The Railway Board Chairman also
utility needs complex regulation that has asked the zones to identify the routes stressed the need for the corporatisation
to offer a level playing field to all players when a meeting will be held with the of Indian Railways manufacturing units.
sharing a common infrastructure. Member Traffic on the issue. In the note, “Though no decision has been taken yet,
The railways have asked its different the Railway Board has said that private we are talking to all stakeholders. We are
zones to identify potentially-viable and operators would be identified through a preparing ourselves and also prepar-
operationally-feasible routes for the participative bid process to run private ing the report on how to maximise the
introduction of privately-operated pas- passenger day and overnight trains that income of the Railways,” he said. Giving
senger trains. In a letter dated Septem- would connect important cities. the example of China on corporatization,
ber 23, the Railway Board has given an Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav he said, “The Chinese corporatized their
indicative list to all the zones, enumerat- said the national transporter will of- railway’s manufacturing units and then
ing 24 routes that have the potential of fer more trains to private players in the they started exporting their trains to over
being operated by private players. coming years. He said on private basis, 100 countries.”
The indicative list identified by the the first Tejas Express train operated by
Railway Board for private train opera- the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism letters@tehelka.com

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