151 private trains: Ministry of Railways has invited request for private participation for the operation of 151 modern trains over 109 Origin-Destination(OD) pairs of routes, the Ministry of Railways stated on Wednesday. The trains will be run by private operators once the selection process is over.
With this initiative, it becomes the first time that private players have been introduced to run passenger trains over the Indian Railways network.
The objective of this initiative is to introduce modern technology rolling stock with reduced maintenance, reduced transit time, boost job creation, provide enhanced safety, provide world-class travel experience to passengers, and also reduce the demand-supply deficit in the passenger transportation sector.
151 trains proposed to be run by Private operators once the selection process is over, would be over and above the already existing trains. These proposed Train will run on the routes where the demand for trains is already higher than the existing capacity, said the statement.
These trains are going to run on the routes where there the demand for trains is already higher than the existing capacity.
The driver and guard of the trains will Railway officials. The safety clearance of trains will be done by Railways only.
The 109 OD Pairs have been formed into 12 Clusters across the Indian Railway network. Each Train shall have a minimum of 16 coaches.
The project would entail a private sector investment of about ₹30,000 crores. This is the first initiative of private investment for running Passenger Trains over the Indian Railways network.
Majority of Trains to be manufactured in India (Make in India). The private entity shall be responsible for financing, procuring, operation and maintenance of the trains.
Trains shall be designed for a maximum speed of 160 kmph. There would be a substantial reduction in journey time. The running time taken by a train shall be comparable to or faster than the fastest train of Indian Railways operating in the respective route.
Indian Railways network is about 68,000 route kilometers. In the year 2018-19, the reserved passenger volume was 16% (0.59 billion) of the total originating non- suburban passengers (3.65 billion). Almost 8.85 crores of waitlisted passengers could not be accommodated.
Ministry of Railways felt the requirement to introduce private participation in passenger train operation which will allow the introduction of next-generation technology and provision of higher service quality, ensuring the use of improved coach technology and reduced journey time. In this direction, RFQ has been already invited to permit private entities to undertake passenger trains operations.
