New Delhi, May 19
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav today dismissed ongoing speculation about hike in passenger fares despite a recent decision by his ministry on revision of reservation fee for mail and express trains.

Responding to a question on whether the passenger fares would be increased, the minister dismissed the question and said the fares were not being increased at present.

It is noteworthy that the Railway Ministry had changed its decision on Monday to issue a notification on its decision to revise the reservation fee charged for mail and express trains. According to the decision, the revision in reservation fee would have come into effect from June 1.

The minister’s statement assumes significance in light of a senior railway board member’s justification of the proposed revision in reservation charges as a “marginal adjustment aimed at meeting the operating cost”.

Asked why he had decided to ban soft drinks aboard trains, Lalu said the decision had been taken in the interest of the health of the citizens.

Lalu told mediapersons that the Chairman Railway Board and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission would pursue with the Japanese authorities their loan offer of Rs 22,000 crore for construction of two dedicated railway freight corridors.

Chairman Railway Board R.K. Singh and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Monek Singh Ahluwalia would visit Tokyo on May 25 in this regard.

Lalu is optimistic that the creation of dedicated freight corridors between Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata would result in a miracle.

“It will improve our earnings and speed up movement of commodities. We are determined to make Indian Railways the number one railways in the world.”

The Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission told mediapersons that the rail corridor was not being privatised.

“I should clarify that the corridor is part of the railway system. It will have a different organisational infrastructure. At the moment, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata corridors are very critical.”

He said the expansion would entail creation of Mumbai-Chennai and Chennai-Kolkata freight corridors.

He said the Planning Commission would constitute a group comprising officers from the Ministry of Railway and the Ministry of Finance to prepare a concept paper on the organisational structure needed for the two dedicated freight traffic corridors.

Ahluwalia told TNS that the freight aspect of traffic was very profitable.

“As you know, the Railways tends to overcharge freight and subsidise passenger fares. Any expansion in freight would contribute to railway revenue.”

Ahluwalia said the performance of the Railways in the past few years had been very substantial.