The Hindu Business Line : Wagon shortage

This refers to `Wagon shortage forces IRFC to borrow less' (Business Line, February 16). It is lamentable to note that the Railways cannot cater to the full needs of the passengers on account of shortage of wagons. While it is ensured that the freight movement target is almost achieved, it seems that scanty attention is paid to increasing and facilitating passenger movement.

The flimsy argument that the insufficient supply of wagons is the reason for this bottleneck and, hence, the IRFC has decided to reduce the borrowing instead of finding other means to increase the wagon supply itself denotes the indifference on the part of the authorities on the matter.

While the freight movement ensures comfortable revenue, the railways have to consider the social obligations behind increasing the capacity of passenger movement. Since rail travel is still the cheapest mode of transport, with a wider reachability and access network, the government should take steps to gear up rail passenger services.

C. P. Velayudhan Nair

Kochi

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