CHENNAI: Indian railways is understood to have identified 14 routes in Tamil Nadu for the introduction of private trains – 9 daily and 4 weekly trains. Except for the loco pilots and guards, the trains will be entirely manned by private staff. In return, successful bidders will have to pay haulage charges to the railways. Ten of these trains will be on the following routes – Chennai to Tiruchy, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah, Jodhpur area and Mangaluru.
Four others will be in Puducherry – Secunderabad (via Chennai), Ernakulam – Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore – Tirunelveli and Kochuveli–Guwahati routes. “The four trains bound to Southern districts of the State are likely to be operated from Tambaram and the remaining six may run from Chennai Central and Egmore. These routes will not be handed over to private companies. They will only be allowed to operate trains on those lines,” explained an official.
A few days ago, the national transporter invited a request for qualification application from interested parties for operation of the private trains across India. The railways has proposed to operate 151 trains in 109 routes, said railways in a press statement. The railways also added that the trains will run at 160 kmph.
The idea which was initially mooted a few years ago has gained momentum recently after NITI Aayog and Ministry of railways framed a detailed blueprint for allotment of slots, ownership of maintenance facilities, terminals and rolling stock.
Zonal officials are sceptical about allowing private trains to run at such high speeds. “There is no proposal to enhance the tracks for these trains to run at 160kmph,” says the official. “Barring a few stretches in the Arakkonam – Jolarpettai section, in other proposed routes, trains can only be operated at 110 kmph.”
‘Complete privatisation’
Though railways has only allowed operation of trains in select routes, the move will pave the way for complete privatisation of railways, said Madurai MP Su Venkatesan. “This will eventually reduce the share of permanent railways employees in the system, thereby resulting in privatisation.”