Changing tracks

Congress has a narrow window to begin the process of modernising the railways

The return of the Union railway ministry to the Congress after 17 years is an opportunity, albeit one with several riders. It brings the possibility of breaking the sequence of populist railway ministers from regional parties, from Bihar and West Bengal, who have, almost without exception, squeezed the Indian Railways for political mileage in their home states. The last regime — of the Trinamool Congress — severely compromised its efficiency and safety record. The new minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal, has a narrow window of a little more than a year to begin putting the railways back on track.

Bansal will need to move fast. He is right to be concerned about the organisation's physical and financial health. But to become an "engine of growth", it will have to be moved in the direction of slimming, prioritising and modernising — undoing the mammoth populism and statism that has slowed it down in the last few years. The Rail Tariff Authority announced by Bansal's predecessor, C.P. Joshi, must be set up to rationalise fares and index them to fuel costs. At the heart of the allies' mismanagement lay a decade-long refusal (except for Dinesh Trivedi's failed attempt) to hike general-class passenger fares — a category constituting 95 per cent of traffic. That's one of the factors affecting the operating ratio, estimated to slip to 95 this year. The ministry will need to prioritise projects, taking clear calls on what is necessary and what is a waste of resources. The immediate focus should be to address the outdated and overstretched railway infrastructure. Without investment in and upgrade of infrastructure — from tracks and rakes to anti-collision and fog-safety devices — the safety record will continue to slip.

The Sam Pitroda-led expert group put the cost of modernisation at Rs 5,60,000 crore over the next half-decade. To become a safe, lean, efficient and comfortable 21st century transport system, the Indian Railways will need the infusion of funds from outside, cutting down on waste and making money. That means junking preoccupations that have nothing to do with carrying passengers safely and transporting freight.

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