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– K.R. Deepak

Mr G.V.L. Satya Kumar, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Waltair Rail Division, addressig the students of Dr L. Bullayya College in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

Our Bureau

Visakhapatnam, Nov. 28

Does India need high-speed trains with speeds above 350 kmph and can the country afford them? This was the question posed to management students of Dr L. Bullayya College here on Friday by the speaker during a lecture organised by Business Line Club.

Mr G.V.L. Satya Kumar, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Waltair Rail Division, said it was a moot point, considering the cost and the other aspects, but pre-feasibility studies are being undertaken to introduce such trains in select corridors.

He was delivering a lecture on management of service marketing with reference to the Indian railways.

He said the cost of operating such high-speed trains, as in Japan and a few other countries, was prohibitive. “It will cost Rs 200 crore to lay a km of rail line for such trains against Rs 3-4 crore for ordinary trains. The costs are quite staggering, but it is possible to make it economically viable by developing the real estate along the route of such trains,” he said.

He said the Indian Railways was considering running such trains on four dedicated corridors, but it was still at the drawing board stage. “Such trains are low on carbon emissions and that is one good reason for seriously considering the issue. Environment should be taken into account in taking such decisions,” he said and advised the students to consider the pros and cons of the issue.

Mr Satya Kumar gave a detailed presentation on what he called the spectacular turnaround of the Indian Railways in the past four to five years after Mr Lalu Prasad took charge as Railway Minister.

He said at present Indian Railways was getting a return of 21 per cent on capital invested, one of the highest in the world, and even the economic recession would not seriously impede its progress. He attributed the turnaround to intensive use of assets, lowering of unit costs through high volumes and improvement in turnaround of wagons.

Mr Satya Kumar said the railways was undertaking many projects in the public-private partnership mode and many of the major stations in the country would be developed to world class standards. He said what the railways had achieved in recent times was quite remarkable, all the while discharging its social responsibilities through cross-subsidisation.

He answered several queries on the performance of the railways by the professors and students and expressed the confidence that the future would be bright for the organisation.

Dr K.V.S. Patnaik, Director of Management Studies, welcomed the gathering. Dr G. Madhu Kumar, Secretary and Correspondent, and Dr Bhaskar Reddy, Director, administration, spoke. Mr T.V. Suresh, Regional General Manager of The Hindu, spoke on the objectives of Business Line Club.

More Stories on : Railways | BL Club | Andhra Pradesh

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