Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Railway Budget 2012 - Expectations

As I am writing this post, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi is presenting the railway budget in the parliament. I am not expecting in terms of number of new trains started, % increase or decrease in railway fares, etc. What I am looking for is the infrastructure, facilities in railway stations, trains, cleanliness, safety, food quality etc. I also don't know the mentality of Indian people. They feel happy when a new train is started from their native state to a metropolitan city. But what about the traveling experience?


I am Ok if you increase the railway fare for passengers, introduce some safety tax, etc. but what about the condition of trains, tracks, railway stations. There is no railway station in India which can match US or European railway stations. Most of our politicians do not use railways, they travel by air and hence we do not see any improvement in the railways.

The IRCTC website is slowest. It takes around 20 minutes to book a ticket and then when you complete all the process, the transaction gets failed. The new Indian Railways website was launched by Ms. Mamta Banerjee but it was taken back only after a week. It was not even properly tested.

Air travel is safer than railways but then poor people in India cannot afford air travel. Food quality in trains is worst. Earlier I use to like train food but now its getting costlier but unhygienic and bad. The taste is so pathetic that it seems we are having boiled salted water.

I am not expecting much relief as far as the fare or new trains is concerned but at least improve some basic infrastructure and facilities for people of India who pay taxes.

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