Union Minister Suresh Prabhu and the Indian railways has finally showed some guts to bring in reforms in the passenger segment, which is key for its long-term sustainability. A detailed analysis shows that the common man will not be effected by this new flexy system it is reported. There is a big danger in keep increasing the freight rates and subsidising the passenger for two reasons. For one, it will compel companies from opting for roads and ports abandoning the rail route to cut their costs, which will ultimately hit the revenue of the railways badly.
Suresh Prabhu should immediately enhance the passenger experience by focusing on the safety, comfort and punctuality of train services. In his last railway budget, Prabhu had outlined his plan to improve the passenger experience such as building 17,000 bio-toilets in trains and 475 in stations this year and covering 400 stations with free Wi-fi access. If the department offers enhanced facilities for the passenger, he wouldn’t mind to shell out a bit more on the ticket on premium trains.
The railways has so far kept its tariff policy in favour of the common man, especially in the lower classes. Periodical increase in freights has compromised the competitiveness of the Railways with the other modes of transport, particularly the road sector, the minister had said in a written reply to Parliament.
Union minister Suresh Prabhu has taken a bold step in kicking off an experiment phase in reforming the passenger fares. It might cause some short-term resentment among passengers as is the case with any fare increases.
But, the point not to be missed here is that for several years the governments have used railways as a tool to appease the public by poorly thought out tariff policies and causing much damage on the freight segment.
There is a good rationale, reform focus behind the decision of the railways in experimenting with a fare hike in select trains, which doesn’t really warrant the kind of public clamour that followed after the announcement.
