RailEnquiry

Planning Commission deputy chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia is learnt to have discussions to devise ways to infuse greater private investment in projects and the issue of setting up of a Rail Tariff Authority to align fares with railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. He met Bansal at Rail Bhawan to outline the broad strategy for the Rail Budget to be presented in Parliament next month.   According to the sources, besides discussing the ways to enhance the resources, the Commission has pitched for Railways reducing its own capital expenditure by infusing more and more private investment into its projects. They, is believed, also discussed the ways to bring private investment for its projects like freight corridor, high speed trains and other expansions. The Dedicated Freight Corridors on the Western and the Eastern routes is a strategic capacity augmentation initiative taken by Railways and involves construction of 3,338 kms of dedicated freight lines which are estimated to cost Rs 95,860 crore.  Besides this, Indian Railways has plans to have bullet train corridors having top speed of over 300 km per hour.   The meeting also discussed setting up of a Rail Tariff Authority which would be entrusted with the responsibility of restructuring the passenger fares as well as freight charges. In view of the Commission, this can help Indian Railways generate greater resources for its capital expenditure in coming years.