The Hindu : Front Page : Rail fare hike unlikely, AC-I and AC-II charges may be reduced

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Thursday, Feb 21, 2008
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Rail fare hike unlikely, AC-I and AC-II charges may be reduced

Sandeep Joshi

Lalu wants to use government-private sector tie-up for modernisation works

Bonanza awaits passengers
Major focus on the development of infrastructure

NEW DELHI: It will again be the “out-of-the-box” thinking that will help Railway Minister Lalu Prasad find additional resources for the growth and development of the Railways in this year’s budget without affecting the pockets of his commuters.

With general elections coming next year, Mr. Prasad may have to find ways to please the “aam admi” before presenting his budget in Parliament on February 26.

While any hike in rail fare and freight tariff is very unlikely, Mr. Prasad might go for some reduction in AC-I and AC-II tier charges to attract passengers from budget airlines. As there has been no significant growth in the number of passengers travelling in AC-I and AC-II tier, Mr. Prasad would like to replicate the success of AC-III tier, with over 20 per cent annual growth rate, that has become hugely popular among train travellers now, in these two categories also.

Another bonanza for train travellers could be additional side berths on new and spacious sleeper coaches, helping the Railways earn more revenue.

Mr. Prasad would also announce a number of new trains, including some special trains, besides increasing the frequency of some popular trains operating in various parts of the country, particularly in northern (read Bihar) and southern States. Some sops for Mumbai’s overcrowded suburban rail service that is awaiting a major overhaul might also be on the cards.

The major focus will be on the development of railway infrastructure that includes construction of state-of-the-art railway stations with world-class passenger amenities, augmentation of railway tracks and signalling system to make train operations faster, and better on-board facilities to help railways compete with budget airlines.

Launch of modern facilities such as the Internet and the satellite television services on some select Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains might see the Railways enter into a new phase of modernisation.

Ticketing to be made easier

To make ticketing easier, Mr. Prasad is also likely to make maximum use of M-commerce by allowing booking of tickets through SMS, besides setting up a ‘Central Monitoring Unit’ to monitor train punctuality, thereby making travel more convenient. For adding more revenue, the Railway Minister might replicate the opening of advertising opportunities on trains to companies as being successfully implemented in the southern region.

Public-private partnership (PPP) will be the buzzword of this year’s Railway budget, as Mr. Prasad wants to use a “government-private sector” tie-up in speeding up the overall modernisation of the entire railway that includes setting up of dedicated freight corridors, development of infrastructure, construction of modern logistics parks and air-conditioned warehouses, foray into mega land development projects and even running hi-speed trains.

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