Panel approves rolling out 150 private trains, NITI Aayog moots Rs 22,500 cr plan

Niti Aayog and Indian Railways have come out with a discussion paper for running 150 trains on 100 routes by private operators, envisaging an investment of ₹22,500 crores. Tejas Express, which was flagged off on October 4, on the route of New Delhi-Lucknow, is the first train operated by a private player, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

New Delhi: After giving the approval to roll out 150 private trains on 100 routes, NITI Aayog and Indian Railways have come out with a discussion paper for the project, envisaging an investment of Rs 22,500 crores.

The panel was formed by Union Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal, consisting of the members of Railway Board and NITI Aayog for the development of 50 railway stations to world-class standards.

It permit private passenger train operators to operate 153 when was class Technology over Indian Railways, under the Government's 100 days action plan. The group is headed by NITI Aayog's CEO Amitabh Kant.

The discussion paper has been titled as "Private Participation: Passenger Trains", which has been prepared for discussions with the stakeholders. The paper has stated that the private operator will have the right to collect market-linked fares and will be provided with the flexibility of class composition and halts.

The selected 100 paths have been split into 10-12 clusters. The prominent routes include Mumbai Central-New Delhi, New Delhi-Patna, Allahabad-Pune, Howrah-Chennai, Howrah-Patna, Anand Vihar-Bhagalpur among many others.

The paper has also said that the time taken by a private train to complete a path shall be comparable to the fastest train of Indian Railways, having a maximum permissible speed of 160 kilometres per hour.

The recommendations mentioned in the discussion paper for the stakeholder consultations proposes that Indian, as well as global players having experience in Railway and tourism, would be permitted, and a minimum net worth of Rs 450 crore. It also states that 15 minutes is the maximum permissible delay, beyond which passengers will have to be compensated.

"The privatisation of train operation will help in introducing modern technology and rolling stocks with reduced maintenance. Besides, it would provide world-class service experience to passengers and also help in reducing the supply-demand deficit," the paper quoted.

Tejas Express, which was flagged off on October 4, on the route of New Delhi-Lucknow, is the first train operated by a private player, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).