Railways seeks curbs on expenditures

Facing financial constraint, railways today sought curbs on expenditure and "judicious allocation" of funds to tide over the crisis.
"The earnings of railways have to go up. Expenses need to be contained. We need to prioritise. Our passengers should get value for money. Our resources are limited and hence the need for judicious allocation of resources," Chairman Railway Board (CRB) Arunendra Kumar said in a New Year message today.
Highlighting the importance of investments, Kumar advocated the need for innovative proposals to shore up finances of the national transporter.
"We need to deliver quality and on time. We need innovative financing models. We need to bring in investments by demonstrating success in our PPP initiatives and in our flagship Dedicated Freight Corridor Project," the CRB said.

Calling upon all railwaymen to focus on providing customers a pleasant experience in their interaction with both passenger and freight segments, he said in his greeting message that "Service with a smile was never so relevant as it is today."
Though railways earnings witnessed a growth of 8.8 per cent in freight earnings and 18 per cent in passenger earnings over the corresponding period of the previous year, the CRB said "Yet the pace needs to pick up further."
He further said, "The challenge before us is to meet the rising passenger expectations in the face of financial constraints. More is expected of us.