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The Railway Budget this year has seen a significant departure from the past in terms of focus on passenger amenities, adoption of technology, capacity-building and commercial soundness, according to Arvind Mahajan, Partner and Head of Infrastructure and Government Services at KPMG India. The facilities earlier available at airports would now be available at the railway stations too.
The introduction of bullet trains, high-speed trains, upgradation of IT infrastructure, including next generation e-reservation system are the steps in the right direction, and addresses the long-felt need to modernise the Railways and making it customer-friendly, said Mahajan.
Welcoming the steps for the creation of project management unit at the Railway Board, Railway University, a strategic procurement policy, including procurement towards capacity-building, he added that though there was discussion on PPP and FDI in Railways, the budget speech lacked details.
Also missing was any discussion on the Railway Tariff Authority, as this is critical for private investment in Railways, he said.
Focus on safety Jaijit Bhattacharya, Partner, Infrastructure and Government Services, KPMG India said the Railway Budget provided the much-needed financial headroom for the Railways to enable it to modernise and expand.
“The focus on safety and security is much appreciated. The special focus on unmanned railway crossings is a positive move from an overall safety perspective. Increase in RPF constables is a much-needed step to improve the security in trains. In addition, using modern technology to enhance safety and security, as well as improved management by deciding to adopt an ERP, is welcome,”' he said.
It would have been helpful if there was focus on non-traffic revenue generation to enhance profitability of the Railways, he added.
SV Sukumar, Partner, Head Strategy and Operations Practice, KPMG India spoke on supply chain and logistics stand point. He said the announcement of FDI in Railways and PPP for future projects would have a positive impact in terms of creation of new lines and capacity.
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