Hey Prabhu! Railway fares don't rise, yet we feel the pinch

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu's maiden Rail Budget has a strong and a long overdue consumer focus and happily for passengers, there will be no increase in fares, at least not immediately.

He has touched upon every aspects of a railway journey that can make travel unpleasant for passengers. Clearly, he seems to have understood the concerns of a common man. 

Prabhu has also refrained from playing to the gallery - no new trains have been announced. That has not pleased many in Parliament and outside but it is a pragmatic measure given that new trains on an overstretched rail network only serves to slow down the network further and also lead to more mishaps.

He has chosen to focus on improving the existing infrastructure by adding additional lines in high density corridors where land acquisition will not be a problem - this is necessary has he said to increase the speed of trains and make the network more efficient.  What he did not say in his speech was that passengers and others will pay for the better services in other ways.

This is because Prabhu, following in the footsteps of many of his predecessors, has increased freight charges to raise money to provide better services to passengers and expand and upgrade the creaking network. The biggest rise in freight charges has come for food items - and it is a double whammy. One, freight charges for foodgrain and pulses was lifted by 10 per cent.

Two, freight rate for urea, a common input in fertilisers, too was raised 10 per cent. Net impact will be higher food prices, for it is unlikely that higher costs will not be passed on to consumers. While that's a small grievance common man will have against Prabhu's rail budget, much of his proposals will be widely welcomed by both regular travelers as well as the occasional ones because it will improve the experience of rail travel in a few years.

He has promised cleaners trains, stations and toilets. He has promised clean drinking water at stations by installing water vending machines. He has promised better food through the journey and a chance to experience the culinary diversity of the country. He has promised to make buying tickets smoother and faster. And, most of all, he has promised safer journeys, especially for women.  

That apart, he has spoken of providing other facilities that provide comfort to travelers - mobile phone charging facilities, free wi-fi in more stations, online booking of retiring rooms, self-operated lockers, concierge services and wheel-chairs for senior citizens and differently abled. The intentions are good and in the Indian context, a bit ambitious. If Prabhu and Indian Railways stick to the script, the network will add 20 per cent to track length in the next five years.

It will also carry 42 per cent more passengers and the 50 per cent more freight by 2020. Given railways' track record, one will remain a bit skeptical about delivery on these promises. However, it is also opportunity for Modi-Prabhu team to turnaround the Railways into a modern, efficient and profitable transporter.