Indian Railways face enormous challenges. While a lot has been done over the last ten years, the problems are so huge, much remains to be done. More than anything else, it needs fresh thinking.

Impressive strides

Railways has enormous achievments to its credit over the last few years. I do not want to repeat what is fairly well known - but it is worth highlighting anyway in case this article comes across as a biased rant.

1. Introduction of modern trains like Vande Bharath
2. Enormous invesmtents on everything from tracks, electrification, signalling etc. on a scale unknown to India all these years
3. Cleaner stations and better facilities
4. Despite a few accidents, relatively better safety record as compared to past.

Problems

But then so huge is the problem that you can argue we have barely scratched the surface. Let us look at the challenges

1. Railways are used by ordinary Indians - these days even so called middle classes fly where it makes sense. It is another story that airfares are unaffordably high for most part of the year.
2. There are many types of train travelers - routine commute, frequent commute over relatively short distances - Mumbai-Pune or Bangalore-Chennai, long distance travel etc.
3. There are huge capacity issues. Even if you take a narrow segment of the travelling public - people taking long distance train journeys on reserved coaches. Confirmed seating in second class or 3A is usually booked out for months or weeks.
4. When it comes to safety, zero is the target. We should never be satisfied.
5. Huge issues with rolling stock - quality and quantity.

A fresh approach

Instead of wasting time on words, I would like to present a few actionable steps for the Railways to consider. This comes not from my expertise as a specialist or railway engineer but as an ordinary commuter that has seen several countries and travelled by trains. I am a rail fan and would love to see IR become great.

1. Number one has to be reorientation of priorities. BJP leaders often talk about Deendayal Upadhyaya and his “last man in the queue” principles. Railways MUST focus on the low end commuters. Fancy trains that cater to relatively rich - like Vande Bharath - are definitely needed. But they are NOT the end. They are the means to generate revenue to serve the real purpose - ordinary Indians taking ordinary trains. This is often a matter of perception and communication. If the Rail Minister keeps tweeting about Vande Bharath or Bullet train and not much else, one gets a feeling rest are neglected. It creates unnecessary negative sentiments - A passenger sitting in an overcrowded, stinking train unworthy of the scrapyard, waiting at the platform for several mintues for a VB to pass, naturally feels angry.

2. That brings us to communication. Public should be made aware of the shortfall and the investments needed to bridge the gap. That way realistic goals and targets are set. Priorities can be argued and sorted out in an open way. Let me give you a simple example. If you try to book a ticket in SL or 3A class between, say, Bangalore and Delhi, you wont get a confirmed ticket for months. Clearly there is shortage of trains. Now, IR can say that ticket on demand is the target. And list out the challenges as well as the cost of overcoming them. It could be station capacity, rolling stock, staffing, or line capacity. Public needs to know how much it will cost to fix each of them. What they demand of IR will also change once they know clearly what the issues are. And what IR is doing about them and the priorities. Making meaningless projections about bullet train between the two cities is silly. Genuine dialogue with end users is the key.

3. Start at the bottom and work up the chain. Do we, as taxpayers and travelling public, know how many coaches and rakes are years past their useful life? Some trains look so dilapidated, even overseas scrapyards may not take them! When it comes to renewal, money should go to the last train in the queue first. Oldest trains and coaches need upgradation. Here again, communicating the situation as well as the remedy is the key.

4. When it comes to safety, focus must be on enhancing facilities for the Railway staff - clean rest rooms, toilets and rest facilities, training, adequate manpower etc. The hardware part of it - track maintenance, fancy testing equipment, signalling and kavach are important but nothing will work if the staff are illtrained, overworked or simply not there. IR must clearly list out the gaps here and the action plan to ensure they are taken care of.

5. If there are significant constraints to expanding station or track capacity in big cities that in turn affects availability of trains, then IR can clearly say so and not give false hopes and waste time. Alternatives must be identified and prioritised along with synergy with other means of transportation like road. This is being done but more needs to be done along these lines.