New Delhi, NFAPost: In a shift from its time-tested policy, Indian Railways is moving to privatisation of passenger train operation as the Ministry invited bids from private and public sectors to operate 29 pairs of trains with around 40 modern rakes entailing an investment of around Rs 7200 crores.
The Railways Ministry will expeditiously complete the evaluation and decide the bids. The decision to open up passeger train service comes after detailed exercise and multiple rounds of discussion with the industry players.
According to Arvian Research, Indian railways move will have far-reaching implications. “It is only a beginning of bringing professionalism and smart operation in Indian Railways with a focus on travelers. This is an entirely new attempt to bring world-class trains through Public Private Participation (PPP) in India,” states Arvian Research.
Ministry of Railways has received bids from both private and public sectors to operate 29 pairs of trains with around 40 modern rakes entailing an investment of around Rs 7200 crores. The Ministry of Railways will expeditiously complete the evaluation and decide the bids.
Indian Railways is known for its established stand on not going for privatisation. But recently, the government brought few initiatives bringing in more private participation in various activities, especially in using real estate and managing railway stations with advanced technologies. The Ministry recently also tied up with Google for wi-fi deployment in stations.
