New Delhi, July 2 A day after the Indian Railways made a major privatisation push by inviting request for qualifications from private entities for participation in passenger train operations on 109 pairs of routes through 151 modern trains, Railway Board Chairman V.K. Yadav said it would help in providing confirmed tickets to passengers on the high-demand routes.
Addressing a virtual press conference on Thursday, Yadav said, "The idea of private trains is that we should be able to offer a confirmed seat to all passengers on all major high-demand routes. The additional trains, over and above what Indian Railways is running, will help cater to the unmet demand."
The railways aimed to achieve that by introducing private trains on key railway routes, he added.
The railways on Wednesday it planned to allow private entities to operate passenger trains and the project would entail private sector investment of about Rs 30,000 crore.
The Chairman said the 150 modern world-class trains would be introduced by the private firms under the 'Make in India' initiative.
"Most of these 150 trains, with at least 16 coaches each, will be manufactured in India. The trains will aim to enhance passenger experience and reduce travel time. The trains will have the capability to achieve 160 kmph speed," Yadav said.
The first private train would hit tracks in April 2023, he added.
"The financial bids will be invited in the coming months and after a private entity is short-listed for a cluster, the company will share designs for new trains. These designs will be as per the Indian Railways specifications. Once the designs are approved, the private company will manufacture the world-class train rakes and train sets.
"Most of these modern trains will be manufactured in India. But to begin with, if the private entity is a foreign original equipment manufacturer, they can be imported," Yadav said.
( With inputs from IANS )