Govt working to transform railways into real growth engine: Prabhu

The Dollar Business Bureau

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday said that the Government is working to transform the Indian railways to become a real growth engine for the economy, while stressing that it was a complex task to manage the largest public transport network.

The Minister further said a lot of people provide advice on the functioning and managing of railways.

“Some say, why are you not making a profit out of the railways. Another person will complain of charges. Somebody will ask why is the food not as good as the food we get in five-star hotels and at the same time, the next person will ask why are you charging Rs. 100 for a meal,” said Prabhu, while speaking at a function organised by Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB).

He quipped that the task of managing the railways is so complex, even an educational institute gets a Noble Prize for teaching how to manage railways.

“If there is any educational institute, which is going to teach how to manage the railways, it should really be qualified to get a Noble Prize, because managing the railways is so complex,” stated Prabhu.

He further stated that Indian Railways is always compared with the Japanese and Chinese railways.

“Indian railways can do better than Chinese and Japanese railways, provided it does everything what they did 30-40 years earlier, he said.

Giving an example of China, he said that the country has invested $140 billion year-after-year in its railways.

The Minister said that the Government has increased investment into the railways.

“The Government's target is to make an investment of around Rs.8,56,000 crore in railways in coming few years. And it will be doubled once the first investment cycle is completed,” he said.

“We will make it a real engine of growth as every rupee we invest in the railways will create six times more output and GDP growth,” Prabhu claimed.