<i><b>This year's Railway budget has many unique features including the reduction of fare in the upper classes and starting of a number of new trains plus speeding up many of the existing trains. In keeping with the demands of the growing economy, there was also announcement about a new freight corridor from Ludhiana in Punjab to Sonenagar in Bihar. Understandably, this has created some noise in Parliament as Left felt that the corridor should have been up to Collate. It is obviously more for political reasons rather than for practical reasons. Let us hope that the new measures will bring better revenue to the Railways and better facilities to the consumers.</b></i>
Having watched Indian Railways closely, I am sure Indian railways can become veritable growth engines and cash spinners.
On a revenue base of Rs.55,000 crores a surplus of Rs.8,000 crore is expected this year (2005-2006).
Indian economy being in flux, this is the time to overhaul Indian railways if it has to survive the onslaught from cheap and time saving aviation industry. Otherwise it will take the route of American Railways.
It can chose to go European way by modernising and revamping railways.
I can say with confidence that with better management practice, streamlining processes, reducing corruption in procurement practices, optimising operations itself can generate another surplus of atleast Rs.5,000-10,000 crores. Nothing less than that.
Indian railways has a monopoly over rail business. It must revolutionise railways now or never. Safety standards need to be improved on a war like zeal.
It can very easily generate a surplus of at least Rs.15,000-20,000 crores per year. This money need to be used to upgrade, modernise, increasing saftey among others.
By reducing the corruption, improving management practices/processes, optimising operations, cost reductions in various government agencies, an honest government can generate a surplus of anywhere between <b>Rs. 150,000- Rs.250,000 crores ($ 30 - $50 billion)</b> which can ploughed back into infrastructural development and building good roads, improving power supply, good primary health care, educational institutions in every district. Imagine the multiplier effect this amount of investment can generate in India. Per economic theories, any investment can generate a multiplier effect of 10 times or about $ 500 billion which is close to 75% of India's GDP.
What is needed is the will power and honesty towards oneself, country and society!
<b>
I guess it is too much to expect from the present genre of Indian politicians who are busy securing the financial future for their next 100 generations of putras and putris.</b>
Given the size of daily operations of the Indian Railways, the number of accidents is nothing alarming. It is true that when accident happans in the system it is normally of very big magnitude when you compare with the small railway systems of most of the advanced nations of the world. In view of the higher availability of electronic media in these countries, the safety records of the Indian Railways comes up for review by the intrenational audiance.
With regard to your specific quary about the referance to the safety measures in the Railway Budget, the following portion of Shri Laluji's budget speech is relevant .
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  The Railways will give utmost priority to technological upgradation so that the reliability of services can be improved and operating and maintenance costs can be cut. In his Speech on the Railway Budget, Shri Lalu Prasad stressed the need for modernization of wagons, use of modern signaling equipment and need to harness Information Technology to gain customers confidence and cut operating costs.Â
Wagons are the revenue earning assets of Railways. However, the Railways since the 90s have modernized the locomotives and coaches, while wagons still use old technology. Keeping this in mind the Railway Minister informed the Lok Sabha that new high capacity wagons are being designed by the RDSO. He announced that the prototypes of these wagons will be developed in the coming year and trails will also be completed. Regular production of new wagons with payload to tare weight ratio of even better than 3:1, will start from 2007-08. All possible efforts will be made to start manufacturing aluminum and stainless wagons also in 2006-07 to improve the payload to tare weight ratio, the Minister said.    Â
Elaborating further, the Minister announced that a new policy framework will be put in place for transfer of technology to develop 25 tonne axle load wagons capable of carrying loads up to 80 tonnes as also to manufacture special wagons for transportation of goods such as motor vehicles, petro chemicals etc.     Â
For enhancing safety, streamlining train operations and increasing line capacity, the Minister said that modern signaling and telecommunication technology will be used.  A multi disciplinary team will be constituted for an in depth study of various advanced signaling and telecommunication alternatives. This team will submit its report within three months. After reviewing the report, a policy will be framed for deciding extensive use of these technologies.    Â
The Minister has announced that the Railways will build on the steps initiated already for using IT in improving operating efficiency of freight transportation. The Terminal Management System (TMS) will be implemented at all major locations. The Railways has already brought about significant improvement in cutting delays and improving operation efficiency through implementation of Freight Operating Information System (FOIS) as part of the project Rake Management System.Â
Information Technology and computerization will be used for control charting, crew management and Coaching Operations Information System (COIS). Next year, all efforts will be made to implement Control Charting System (CCS) on all the divisions. The complete computerization of Control Office, COIS and interfacing of both these systems with National Train Enquiry System will directly benefit passengers and other rail users. Â
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In US almost every month we hear one or two accident. Not many people use Railway, so causality are very low. I was not impressed by British railway. Swiss rail is one of the best railway systems.
I think Indian Railway is 8th wonder of modern world.
Nareshji,
I can recall regular incidence on British Railway during my 8 month stay in London.
1) Train delay due to "Wrong type of leaves on track". <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
2) Train delayed due to "unwanted element on track". (It was train seat on track)
3) Train stopped in one station and we were sitting for over 1 hour in locked train when through announcement they informed us "Due to shift change train is delayed for another 30 mins". Actually, train driver left train without waiting for another driver to take charge of train. Local train was delayed for 2 hours.
4) Repair man was fixing track and after doing his work he left for bar without informing anyone. Richmond track came to halt for 4-5 hours because they were looking for lineman.
5) Train delayed due to rain or snow or... was very common.
6) Missing seats, over crowded and drunk crowd was a norm.
Nareshji,
It was year 2000, when stock exchange opened late because of traffic Jam in and around London caused by 2-3 cars broke down in highway. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Feb 27 2006, 05:08 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Feb 27 2006, 05:08 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Nareshji,
It was year 2000, when stock exchange opened late because of traffic Jam in and around London caused by 2-3 cars broke down in highway. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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<b>Mudy Ji </b>
Those were the Fruits of Seven Years of British Rail Privatisation (1993)
I hope this is a lesson to our Indian Bhais as well as Behens of the Inavbility of the Private Sector to Provide a Public Service in Country with India's Economic Condition and Size of Population.
<b>The Indian Railways is a unique system in planet earth and there is no other Railway system in the world whose operations are so massive, so complex and so many subjects of political pulls and pushes. It has the capacity of making and unmaking a political leader in a huge country like India. Its performance cannot be compared as some of the operational co-ordinates on which Indian Railways operate are to be found no where in the world. Even the passenger load of any important train is not comparable with any other train in any country, in terms of load, length etc.
Today, one can find that important interstate trains are moving at speeds exceeding 100 kmph. They pass the small and large stations under heavy traffic conditions. The old mechanical signaling devices have been replaced by digital electronic signal and point changing devices. Several communication systems, including optical fiber cables, microwave communication, high frequency wireless, normal telephone and of late the satellite telephone are in use. This is quite normal in the present day world.
However, the most unique feature is that the moment there is any system breakdown takes place in signaling, the kerosene oil lamp and the signaler is immediately visible on the balcony of the outer cabin of the station to ensure that the movement of the trains does not come to a halt. In some of the branch lines which are single track, the ball system is still in use for making trains pass safely. I am sure this system may have gone into disuse some 50 years ago in the West. The guard and the station master still wave the red and green flags by hand when a train passes through without stopping at some wayside small station, notwithstanding the fact that black satellite phone manufactured by ITI Bangalore hanging from their neck in black lather case.
These are only a few examples of the great diversity of the Indian system.</b>
There are several rates for transportation of goods and if you have any specific quary do let me know.As far as passanger ticket is concerned, I travelled 515 km by Satabdi Express AC Chair Car at Rs. 750/-inclusive of mineral water breakfast and lunch.
I suppose that the cost is expressed in INR/ton * km.....
however thank you for the information about passenger ticket !! <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
For general inquiry use General thread. This is serious thread on Indian Railway.
Check Indian railways website for your question. Do google on Indian Railways.
excuse me..... I didn't want to use this topic in a wrong way....Do I have to open a new topic with a specific question on the average cost? or is the forum in general inappropriate for this kind of questions? I've thought that we know this kind of information (that I didn't find on google).....
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Trans-Asian railway </b>
 JAKARTA:Â
A planned trans-Asian railway network to connect 28 countries took a step forward, a UN official and conference delegates said on Tuesday. Delegates at an AsiaPacific conference in Jakarta said they were due to issue a resolution on Tuesday adopting an intergovernmental agreement on the trans-Asian railway that was first drafted in Bangkok last year.
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Hope to see trans-Asia railway in my life time.
04-13-2006, 05:03 PM (This post was last modified: 04-13-2006, 05:06 PM by Naresh.)
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Apr 13 2006, 06:50 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Apr 13 2006, 06:50 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hope to see trans-Asia railway in my life time.
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<b>Mudy Ji :</b>
Indonesia + Thailand + Malaysia + Myanmar = Metre Gauge
China and Iran = 1435 MM
Russia and Ex Soviet Republics = 1520 to 1524 MM
India, Bangladesh & Pakistan = Mainly 1676 MM
As such either there will be changes in the sub-continent also on entering Iran or the Caristans or all the Countries will have to go for a single Gauge - most probably the 1435 MM Size.
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