Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu answers regarding any increase in train fares
Posted on: 05/Jun/2017 2:24:47 PM
The central Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu informed that the Railway Development Authority will decide on the revision of train fares.
While having a session with the press reporters, he explained that various projects have been undertaken for the development of Railways – jointly with the respective state governments, arrangements of a loan from the Life Insurance Corporation of India, etc.
A financial assistance of Rs. 35000 Crores has been granted by the World Bank for improvement of the Railways infrastructure.
The Railways Department needs to collect Rs. 5000 Crores annually in order to improve the existing safety measures to ensure the complete prevention of any train accidents.
So far, a fund of Rs. 10000 Crores has been received from the National Highways Authority of India. Rs. 5000 Crores have been received from the central Ministry of Finance.
The funds required for safety improvement projects have to be secured through other avenues. Wholehearted cooperation from all sections is required to accomplish this.
The central government has already allotted Rs. 8.5 Lakh Crores over the 5 years from 2015 to 2019 fro the large-scale expansion projects of the Railways Department.
Is any increase in train fares in the offing? The central government has granted approval for the setting up of Railway Development Authority (RDA). Currently, the selection of the Chairman and other Members for RDA is in progress.
Once RDA is set up, it will take a decision regarding the revision of train fares. Initially, in the 1st Phase, RDA will submit recommendations on this issue. Subsequently, after joint discussions with Ministry of Railways, a decision will be taken.
It is an important point to note that there has been no revision in the train fares over the last 3 years in spite of the severe challenges encountered by the Railways.
The minister further explained that the improvement in facilities, improvement of high-quality seats in 40000 coaches, pollution-free toilets, redesigned interiors of coaches, facilities for recharging cell phones, etc., are being taken up.
