Private train operations are likely to begin by April 2023 and all coaches for the service would be procured under the ‘Make in India’ policy, Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav announced on Thursday, 2 July.
Noting that the train sets in the service would be brought and maintained by private operators, Railway Board Chairman said that they would be penalised in case any performance indicators were not met by them in passenger train operations.
“Our target is that the private trains start running by April 2023. A mechanism will be set up to monitor the performance of the private trains.”VK Yadav, Railway Board Chairman
He further stated that private participation in passenger train operations would constitute only 5 percent of the total operations, adding that roping in of private players in the railway sector meant quantum jump in technology and boosting speeds.
“Five percent is being offered to private operators under Public-Private Partnership (PPP), 95 percent trains will be run by Indian Railways. Majority of trains will be manufactured in India. Private train operators will fix fare keeping in mind fares of airlines and AC buses,” the Railway Board Chairman said, reported ANI.
Snatching Poor’s Lifeline: Raul Gandhi
“The government is snatching the lifeline of poor,” said senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on railways inviting private players to operate passenger trains.
The Railways on Wednesday had formally kicked off its plans to allow private entities to operate passenger trains on its network by inviting request for qualifications (RFQ) for participation on 109 pairs of routes through 151 modern trains.
(With inputs from ANI)
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