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Indian Railways have recorded excellent performance during the year ending November, 2004. The total earnings from freight and passenger traffic were Rs. 30032.75 crores compared to Rs.27785.37 crores during the corresponding period of the previous year. The earnings were higher by 8.09 per cent over the previous year and 3.34 per cent over the budgetary target of Rs.29062.92 crores. The loading of freight traffic has been 8 million tonnes higher than the budgetary target. The passenger traffic also jumped the target of 3 per cent. The actual performance was 5.46 per cent higher than the target of 3 per cent. A total of 2094.58 million passengers were booked during the period compared to 1986.15 million passengers during the corresponding period of the previous year.
The year also witnessed Indian Railways being reoriented for the advantages of the common man. The introduction of kulhar, the earthen cup, in place of plastic cups, khadi and handloom, milk and milk products on Railways across the country was widely acclaimed as a measure for providing employment to the poorer segments of the society. A new catering policy-2004 was announced to provide for open tender for the award of contracts to private caterers, besides ending the monopoly of large-scale caterers on Indian Railways. The policy also provides for 49.5 per cent reservations for Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes, other backward classes and minorities. When fully implemented, the Railways’ earnings from catering services would go up to Rs.500 crores per annum from the existing annual earnings of Rs.22 crores. The bookstall policy also saw changes during the year. Provision of book stalls has been subjected to periodic open tenders, resulting in increased revenues to the Railways, besides reservations for unemployed graduates and other weaker sections.
The Government also announced filling up of more than 80,000 vacancies in Group C and D categories of safety segments of Indian Railways, besides filling up of 9000 vacancies in Railway Protection Force. These vacancies had accumulated during the last six years.
With the myriad upgradation of technology and induction of new devices, safety of rail services has improved substantially. As a result, accidents have come down substantially over the years. As against 1393 accidents per year, accidents in 2003-04 were 325. This has further come down to 156 in April to November, 2004 against 235 in the corresponding period of 2003, representing a reduction of 33.62 per cent.
An Integrated Modernization Plan for Indian Railways for the next five years at a cost of Rs.24,000 crores was introduced. The modernization plan seeks to introduce a dedicated high speed corridor for 250 kilometre to 300 kilometre per hour high speed on Mumbai-Ahmedabad section, besides introducing 150 kilometre per hour high speed on Delhi-Howrah (Kolkata) section, Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Agra and Delhi-Lucknow sections over the next five years. The Government also worked out a mechanism for resources for modernization plan besides completing a shelf of 235 throw forward ongoing railway projects at a cost of Rs.46,000 crores under a time-bound programme.
The year also saw the United Progressive Alliance Government according priority to development and expansion of Railway infrastructure including modernization, safety and security of passengers, replacement and renewal of assets, particularly track renewal, cleanliness, improvement in passenger amenities, control over expenditure and prevention of leakages of revenues, as thrust-areas for improving rail services to the nation.
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