The air and road travel would increasingly wean away committed train travellers and more value has to be added by the Indian Railway for them
In news recently was a meeting by the Minister for Railways on the plan for rolling stock on Indian Railways (IR) following which the Member (TRS) was shown the door as he attended it totally unprepared. The details are not out in the public domain but, assuming that this was the reason for his ouster, it set me thinking. Presenting a case for the future of trains and then following it up in earnestis the job of IR's Board members; sloth of executives who move on aimlessly following hypes of many kinds, without follow up on the announcements in the face of the stark reality of affordable and convenient air road travel in the country, cannot be ignored any more. Moreover, there is a need to counter a smug tribe of prophets of doom who do not see much future for IR.
If I were to present such a plan, I will first define the boundary conditions:
We have to have a clearvision about the mix IR trains should have 10 to 20 years from now and thenderive a plan. This excludes the shape High Speed and Metro trains would take as they are not within the purview of IR.
IR should not ignore its social obligation towards the common man.IR is notorious for overcrowding in its lower classes and even in lower-class sleepers, all you get is a berth but travelling in it in peak summer or winter can be punishing, what with the metallic coach heating up or getting chilled, depending on the season. There is an argument that IR charges very little for lower class travel and the level of comfort is commensurate with the fare. This argument is elitist. In the Prime Minister'swords, the common man forms the core of an aspirational India. They indeed pay very little today but travel in abject conditions and they must get a better deal. For India to be a leading country of the world, it cannot have its people travelling in sub-human conditions.
Having said that, a tightrope walk is called for. The travellers in the premium and higher classes would help IR earn more to offset the inevitable subsidy for the lower classes. Air and road travel would Increasingly wean away committed train travellers and more value has to be added by IR for them.
IR recently introduced a type of air-conditioned (AC) Economy coach with plans to build a large number of them for long-distance trains. While this new coach has 83 berths vis-à-vis 72 in a regular 3 AC Coach, the fare structure for this coach is 8 per cent lesser than the 3 AC Coach. This is in line with an announcement last year that IR would replace non-AC coaches from mail/express trains and this way all such trains in India would be fully air-conditioned. The initial reactions have indeed been mixed with a common refrain that IR is catering to higher income groups. This perception is strengthened when a welcome development like the AC Economy coach for mass travel is publicized more for its luxury and not for its simple comforts.
The truth lies somewhere in between. The government is on the right path because, even if manufacture of non-AC coaches is totally stopped today and the useful life of such coaches is curtailed to some extent, we would see the last of non-AC coaches only in 2045. We must believe that everyone, including the poorest common man, would be able to affordlong-distance train travel in AC comfort, say, twenty years from now. The economics? Two types of AC coaches, the AC III and AC Chair car, are already profitable. The growth of 3ACtravellershas been much higher than even Sleeper class, which indicates aspirations to travel in better conditions. Stretching it a bit more, AC Economy coaches with 25% more accommodation with 25per centlower fare are feasible. Similarly, AC Chair cars, without luxuries like reclining chairs etc., should also be introduced to cater to 40 per cent more passengers and 40 per cent reduction in fare. All this would tax IR's financesbut within a reasonable limit of subsidy. So, AC travel for all is well within the realm of possibility without stressing the operating performance of railways. IR already subsidizes passenger segment by nearly 45 per cent from its freight earnings and it can migrate to only AC trains in next 10 to 15 years bysimply continuing with this level of subsidy. Complete switchover to manufacture of only AC coaches should, therefore, be the bedrock our plan.
As for higher classes, the premium AC I and II classes are losing propositions and yet we do not charge the passengers enough. If higher charges would result in loss of clientele to flights, so be it, reduce these services, why provide subsidy to these high-end travellers? For IR to have itsprivileged clientele choose train over air travel, the modern semi-high-speed Train 18/Vande Bharat expresses, with proven reduced travel time and better comfort, are the answer. These trains have also proved to be profitable with high occupancy as passengers see value in them. A win-win for, IR in terms of higher revenues, and passengers for a comfortable alternative to air travel. The plans, therefore, must include enhanced production of such trains, which incidentally is in line with the recent announcement by the Prime Minister on August 15 that as many as 75 Vande Bharat trains will connect 75 cities in 75 weeks. It is essential that Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and other premium trains be of this type and therefore speedy development of a Sleeper version of Train 18 is critical.
The trainsets for future, say five years, from must have an upgraded avatar, in terms of aluminium-body and features like tilting for energy-efficiency, durability and further reduction in travel time. Such train sets, running in the speed range of 160 to 200 km/h are within IR's reach in a decade, what the much-touted upgradation of Civil and allied infrastructure. This would further enhance their competitive edge with air travel. Simultaneously, IR should revive the project of concessions for private train set, so the burden of investment by IR would be reduced with more value for higher-end passengers.
Many inter-city Rapid Rail Transit Systems (RRTS) with train sets are proposed in the country. Train sets being the future for inter-city travel, RRTSs cannot be kept divorced from IR. Even if RRTSscontinue as independent entities, given that they seek to offer comfortable travel experience to all with no discrimination, it calls for IR to align with their fare structure and level of comfort.
As for short-distance and suburban travel, the trains of Metros, associated with common city dwellers, are air-conditioned and so, why should it be inconceivable that all suburban EMU and short-distance MEMU trains be airconditioned? This would require that their fares be made commensurate with Metro fares. If this switchover is planned over a long time, say, 15 years, it will not a cost a government that much populist adversity. The bullet would have been bitten and everyone would be happy in the long term.
(The writer is retired General Manger, Indian Railways. The views expressed are personal.)
