Lalu for evolving multi-modal transport system

New Delhi, Mar 22: Parading the fantastic achievements of Indian Railways before the CEOs of various railways across the world, Lalu Prasad today took pride in announcing that it had achieved an operating ratio of 78.7 per cent, the lowest for any railway system in the world.

Inaugurating a two-day Global Rail Freight Conference here, being attended by 118 participants from 41 countries, Mr Prasad said the Railways had registered an incredible turnaround in its financial health with its focus on reducing the unit cost of operation.

''The achievement had also to be seen in the context of no price rise in freight and passenger segments over the last three years,'' he told the conference, jointly organised by Indian Railways and the Paris-based UIC (International Union of Railways).

Pointing out that globalisation of manufacturing practices across the world had changed the definition of rail transportation, the minister said the focus now should be on multi-modalism to provide full logistic support to the customers.

''Containers have bridged the gap between rail and road as an optimum solution for providing door-to-door service. Conscious efforts have to be made for providing multi-modal support to the customers rather than pure rail transportation,'' he said.

In this context, Mr Prasad referred to the efforts of UN-ESCAP and UIC for undertaking Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) network which, if implemented, would provide a faster and shorter land route and may challenge the shipping lines.

The Indian government has already decided to sign the Inter-Governmental Agreement on TAR, an initiative of UN-ESCAP, in July at the UN headquarters in New York.

The Minister hoped that the conference would debate various options of positioning rail transport as a competitive, effective and cheaper mode of transport.

''Despite being an environment-friendly and cheaper mode of transport, Railways across the world have not been able to account for a major share in freight business,'' he said, adding that managers and planners would have to devise suitable strategies for overcoming this problem.

Mr Prasad told the delegates that Indian Railways had chalked out a plan to construct Dedicated Freight Corridors in view of the spiralling demand from the freight sector.

The first phase of the project will involve construction of corridors on the eastern and western routes at a cost of Rs 30 crore. This will be later extended to other sections of the Golden Quadrilateral.

''Once this is done, it will herald a revolution in the freight business for the railways. We carried 726 million tonnes of freight this fiscal and for the next fiscal, we have fixed a target of 785 million tonnes.'' The conference will take up for deliberations a number of issues, including Challenges and Opportunities for Railway Transports in Global Logistical Chains, 21st Century Global Transport Supply Chain Issues, Globalism of Inter-modal Transport, and Best Practices and Successful Global Rail Freight Projects.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Minister of State for Railways Naranbhai J. Rathwa, Railway Board Chairman and UIC chairman J P Batra, UIC Vice-Chairperson Anne Marie Idrac and its Chief Executive Luc Aladiere were among those who attended the inaugural of the conference.

UNI