new Delhi. Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav has dismissed the apprehension that private trains run by Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the country will have expensive passenger fares. With this, he said that only 5 percent of the additional trains are being operated by private operators. Railways will operate the remaining 95 trains.
Vinod Kumar Yadav said that now is the time of competition, in such a way that private train operators cannot fix any travel fare, which is more in terms of AC buses and airplanes. He hoped that by April 2023, private trains would start running in the country.
Talking to the media in Delhi, Yadav made it clear that only 5 percent of the additional trains are being run by private operators and the remaining 95 trains will be operated by the Railways. He said, we are trying to use state-of-the-art coaches in railways as well. He made it clear that Indian Railways would be responsible for the safety and security of railways, as well as the drivers and guards of these private trains. Only the private operator will see the operation of the coach.
Yadav said that in the last 70 years, infrastructure development in railways was ignored, as has been given in the last 6 years. He said, 13.3 percent reservation is yet to be confirmed. We are trying to get everyone a train berth. He said that according to an estimate, 8.4 crore passengers traveled by train in 2019. In 2030, this figure is likely to be 13 crores while by 2040 18 crores people will travel by train. In such a situation, it is necessary to make infrastructural development and necessary arrangements in the railways.
It is to be noted that the railway is soon going to run 151 private trains on the lines of Tejas Express. For which the exercise has started. Railways have asked for tenders from private companies for these trains running on 109 routes. IRCTC is currently operating two private Tejas trains in the country.
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