QUALITY OF RAILWAY SERVICE AND RAILWAY BUDGET
The financial turnaround of Indian Railways and the
recent budget of the Minister of Railways giving number of concessions have been applauded. This has been discussed in an editorial of Times of India of Feb. 27, 08. In spite of
inflation, the costs of passenger railway tickets have been kept down. A popular budget has been presented, which seeks decreases in the passenger fares. Freight revenue increase, much better economy and better management have helped in this respect. But if there was surplus of cash, the working of the Railways should have been revolutionized, so as to reach global standards. The old infrastructure needs overhauling, safety aspects are not getting due attention, trains are running slow etc. Railway is the lifeline of the whole country. India needs faster trains, metros, better suburban trains, cleanliness and still better management. Some steps have been initiated now, but a lot remains to be done. Quality of the services given by Railways must be improved, modernization should be done, requirements and views of the
customers should be considered, so as to come up to the world standards.