An optimistic train of thought, but multiple barriers on the tracks

The government plans to allow limited private railway services by 2023, but there are many barriers on the tracks

On May 13, 2019, when the Narendra Modi government took charge for a second term, moving ahead with the proposal of running private trains was one of the key initiatives of its 100-day agenda. Now, after 13 months, the Ministry of Railways has signalled a start by floating a Request for Quotation to run the country’s first private train, tentatively by April 2023. Under the plan, there will be 151 private trains covering 109 routes which may entail investments worth Rs 30,000 crore.

Overall, this amounts to just 5 per cent of the number of trains under operation. That apart,