Railways to take on airlines on passenger front, says Lalu

Patna, Feb 26 (UNI) The Indian railways has geared up to take on the private airline operators, who slashed down the domestic passenger fares to lure a section of traditional travellers in upper classes of trains, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said.

Sharing his moments of joy with newspersons last evening at the overwhelming praise showered on him for his third railway budget presented before Parliament on February 24 last, a beaming Mr Prasad enumerated the measures proposed by the railways to augment passenger revenue by providing better amenities to travellers, reducing journey time and ensuring hassle free trips with assured safety and security.

''Railways propose to recast the railway time table keeping in view the increase in speed of trains and inter-linking of various routes, taking the curent year as zero,'' he declared.

Reworking on the time table would ensure punctuality and minimise the hazard of waiting for long hours to catch linking trains from junction stations, he said while recalling that the time table was now revised periodically on the basis of the original document prepared in 1886.

''New passenger coaches are being designed to ensure more comfort to the travellers and double decker coaches will be introduced in Garib Raths (fully air conditioned trains to be run on pilot basis at a fare 25 per cent less than that of A/C 3 tier),'' he added describing the steps as landmark ones in the history of railways.

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