On the right track

The highest-ever capital outlay of Rs 2.4 lakh crore for the Railways, nine times the amount provided in 2013-14, augurs well for ‘the nation’s lifeline’. This sector is making a robust recovery from Covid-induced disruptions, exemplified by the rollout of a series of Vande Bharat trains. The Vande Bharat Express, dubbed as India’s ‘first indigenous, semi high-speed train’, is manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai. The country is also scheduled to get its first hydrogen train — indigenously made in all respects — by December this year, even as over 85 per cent of India’s railway network has been electrified.

There are good tidings on the revenue front too. The Railways’ total earnings in the passenger segment from April to December 2022 amounted to Rs 48,913 crore, an increase of 71 per cent compared to what it had earned during the same nine-month period in 2021. The freight revenue has also risen, though not steeply. Bringing down the costs incurred on logistics continues to be a major challenge for the Railways. An integrated approach with multi-modal transportation wherein waterways, highways and the rail network are interlinked, as suggested by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, can help reduce these costs and fetch more revenue to the railway sector. Tapping the potential of waterways as a cost-effective mode of cargo transport can also lessen the Railways’ freight burden so that it can devote more of its energies and funds to passenger services.

Trains are used by lakhs of people on a daily basis across the country; hence, the passengers’ satisfaction should remain top priority. It’s heartening that under the ‘Amrit Bharat Station’ scheme, 1,275 railway stations are being re-developed. The adoption of ‘Kavach’ as the national automatic train protection system, indigenously developed by the Railways through the Research Designs & Standards Organisation, is a huge step towards ensuring a safe train journey. Amid these positive developments, it’s an irony that India’s first high-speed ‘bullet train’ project, a joint venture involving Japan, is progressing at a snail’s pace. The work should be fast-tracked so that the ever-dependable Indian Railways can add another feather to its cap.