Budget: PM's Gati Shakti gives major boost to Railways, says R Sivadasan

Today, Indian Railways should have achieved a freight loading of 1,160 million tonnes (MT). With 59 days to go for fiscal year-end, its traffic guys are poised to create an incredible annual incremental loading record of more than 190 MT, even as India fights devastating impacts of a second Covid year. An incremental loading of this scale usually takes around five years to achieve. Thus, at least one parameter of speedy economic bounce-back is confirmed.

In a pandemic year, operating ratio is immaterial. In global railway systems, staff costs are around 65 per cent of working expenses. The rest of O&M costs include fuel, lease charges and, most critically, expenditure on maintenance and safety. In a year of phenomenal incremental freight volume, the wear and tear and fatigue of infrastructure (fixed and moving) needs hawkish attention. Cutting expenses on maintenance of track, signals, rolling stock, overhead equipment, plant and machinery with a view to window-dressing operating ratio could invite dangerous safety risks.

The 2,000 km KAWACH rollout will add an extra layer in safe operations and needs priority implementation. In 2021, despite Covid, resilient railway production units in UP performed a significantly higher technology atmanirbhar feat of “Make in India for the world”.

The multi-modal transport hub, Dadri, under progress, links Jewar airport, railways and roadways. Seamless mobility of cargo targeted under PM’s Gati Shakti plan will give a further boost to rail-bound traffic.