New Delhi:
The discussions are on with
senior officials and experts whether to allow private players run passenger
operations and fix fares, a senior Railway Board member said Friday.
At an event organized by
Centre for Transportation Research and management, Railway Board Member
(Traffic) Girish Pillai said that senior officials are now currently discussing
the matter.
There have been many changes
in train operations across the world and I think it’s time that India should
discuss the options of allowing private operators to operate passenger trains.
“Whether they can be
permitted to fix fares, construct terminals, senior officials of railways and
experts in the field are discussing this,” said Pillai.
He also said that there was
a need to separate the freight sector and passenger services.
The senior official
maintained that running train services in the country is loss making endeavour
and only a few trains are making any profit, while others are running in
losses.
He said that only 15 percent
of the non-sub-urban passengers travel in reserved classes among whom around
five percent travel in higher classes and 10 to 11 percent travel in sleeper
classes.
“Most of them travel in
unreserved category. There is a need for changes in freight as well as
passenger fares and there needs to be more flexibility in them, he said.
Pillai pointed out that with
the nod for private players to enter the freight sector around 50 private
freight terminals have come up in the country and railways wants more to come
up.
He said that in the USA, the
rail operator has only 25 percent of the wagon and container services and the
other 75 percent are with private businesses. In Russia, he said, the govt has
no stake in these services.
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