Piyush Goyal stated that the railways are owned by the Indians and belong to the Indians.
New Delhi:
Noting that private investment in passenger services will lead to “public good”, Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday that passengers should have the choice of being able to use superior services at competitive prices and stressed that investment in the public-private partnership mode would generate in India.
He said that the railways are owned by the Indians and owned by the Indians.
“But certainly to improve the services to our customers, both for freight and passengers, to provide more comfortable, more efficient journeys, high speeds and to meet the needs of large infrastructure costs required by the railway , we will certainly consider a public-private partnership and a greater engagement with the private sector to superimpose or operate the facilities that are already available with us and give passengers and our freight customers and all our stakeholders very good service comfortable, consistent and efficient of high quality, “said the Minister.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Railways invited a request for qualification (RFQ) for a private participation for the operation of passenger train services on 109 pairs of Origin-Destination (OD) routes thanks to the introduction of 151 modern trains (rakes).
Speaking at the India Foundation Dialogue 70 via video conference, Goyal said that the competition will be able to improve rail service and that the railways will also earn revenue.
“The concept of private trains is simple. Indian railways are a national asset. Passengers should have the choice of being able to use superior service at competitive prices if available. Look at the history of the airline, there was only one airline – one international and one Indian. The movement of the others intervened, there was price competition, so prices went down in the airlines and there was competition on services, so services have improved, “said Mr. Goyal.
“Likewise, we hope that competition will also improve rail service and give passengers choice. The railways will also generate revenue on the paths we allow private trains to run. Private trains should be much faster, there should be more modern coaches and bringing better technology to India, jobs in India when these coaches are made in India, because with the exception of the first, we will insist that they are all made in India, “he added.
The minister said it was a very holistic plan.
“The railways have a plan to invest Rs 50 lakh crore over the next twelve months … We envision a public-private partnership bringing more efficiency to the system and serving passengers and our people, including freight . “
The minister said the railways will license private trains and maintain high standards.
“The railways will license and we will obviously keep our eyes and ears open and maintain high quality standards. This is part of the RFQ’s quality standards, speed and time to be met. If we find a wrongdoing, the railway reserves the right to ensure orderly behavior. We may also consider a regulator. Private trains will operate for the public good because competition is always good for you. This is why you invite to invest in public-private mode, “he said.
