Despite poor financial position, Indian Railways aims to meet global standards of rail travel in next 25 years
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express passing through Ludhiana, Oct 2019; (Photo: Getty Images)
aAt the time of independence and subsequent partition of the country, the Indian Railways (IR) underwent a major surgery. Apart from the division of property, track, rolling stock and transfer of workforce, the functioning of five regions—East Punjab, East Indian, Oudh and Tirhut, the Indian part of the Bengal Assam Railway—was severely affected by the partition of the country.
Soldiers before a steam engine carrying passengers at the funeral of Mahatma Gandhi, January 1948; (Photo: Getty Images)
Between 1950 and 1954, the IR managed to reorganize itself – creating new divisions and creating new tie-ups for manufacturing – and began upgrading its infrastructure.
Today, India has the fourth largest rail network in the world – after only the US, China and Europe. Over the years, the country has made efforts to modernize the railways, but the core problem lies in the fare and fee charges. According to IR, the cost of passenger fares and services comes to around Rs 1.16 per km, but railways charges only 48 paise per km. This makes fares some of the cheapest in the world and also affects the financial health of the public transporter and its ability to upgrade facilities. It seeks private investment in operations, while players are increasingly demanding a regulator and a level playing field.
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Nevertheless, there is light at the end of the tunnel. India is slowly moving towards semi-high speed trains – from coal-fired steam engines to diesel engines and now electric ones. But the main issues of the railways are to pull themselves out of the socialist era and to demand reforms to make investment possible.
The agenda for the next 25 years is clear – equal opportunities for private players and global standards of rail travel.
