Private trains likely on Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Jammu, Delhi-Howrah, Mumbai-Pune routes

Private trains likely on Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Jammu, Delhi-Howrah, Mumbai-Pune routes

26 Sep 2019, 

The privately-operated passenger trains will have improved services and amenities for passengers

The decision comes under Railways' 100-day agenda to hand over operations to private players on key routes

The Indian Railways is mulling a plan to allow private operators to run trains on several important routes, news agencies reported. The decision comes under Railways's 100-day agenda to hand over operations of the trains to private players on key routes. So, if the plan materialises, you will soon have the option to travel in swanky coaches run by private operators instead of the ones operated by the government. The privately-operated passenger trains will have improved services and amenities. In a letter dated 23rd September, the Railway Board has given an indicative list to all the zones, enumerating 24 routes that have the potential of being operated by private players.

Here is all you need to know about the proposed private trains on Indian Railways network:

1) The indicative list identified by the Railway Board for private train operation includes intercity, long-distance and suburban routes.

2) The railways has asked the zones to identify the routes by Friday, when a meeting will be held on the issue.

3) The Railway Board has said that private operators would be identified through a participative bid process.

4) According to a report in IANS, the national transporter is mulling to give trains to private operators on 24 routes.

5) The proposed routes include, Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Lucknow, Delhi-Jammu/Katra, Delhi-Howrah, Secunderabad-Hyderabad, Secunderabad-Delhi, Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Chennai, Howrah-Chennai and Howrah-Mumbai.

6) The Railways has proposed to invite the private players for the intercity express on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Mumbai-Pune, Mumbai-Aurangabad, Mumbai-Madgaon, Delhi-Chandigarh/Amritsar, Delhi-Jaipur/Ajmer, Howrah-Puri, Howrah-Tata, Howrah-Patna, Secunderabad-Vijaywada, Chennai-Bengaluru, Chennai-Coimbatore, Chennai-Madurai and Ernakulam-Trivandrum routes.

7) It has also proposed the operation of suburban trains in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Secunderabad by private players.

India's first private train, the Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express, will be operational from 5th October. This will be run by the railways' subsidiary, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), and is the national transporter's first step towards privatising operations of some trains. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express, which is likely to hit the tracks in December, will also be run by the IRCTC.

-With inputs from Agencies