Chugging along the slow lane

Lalu managed to do what I had expected him to do.. Live up to my expectations of not being able to deliver.. As he read out the railway budget for the year 2008-09, I could only stare at the TV in disbelief.. Does this guy know what he is talking about??

I strongly believe that for the country to continue its growth story, the railway infrastructure in the country must grow atleast 2-3% faster.. However, the railways plan to lay only 3500kms of new lines in the coming year.. This comes to me as too little, too late. There is no plans for real capacity augmentation on the country's most busiest sectors. Just changing the signaling systems is not enough. With plenty of railway land on both sides of existing track, laying of new tracks should be done much faster. I would love to see IR build new lines even at half the rate of its Chinese counterpart.

The reduction in passenger fares is a sham that most people fail to see through. The capacity of the existing coaches is being increased by 15-25%. This means more people cramped up in the same space. After such an increase in the carrying capacity per coach, how difficult is it to cut the fares by 3-7%, that too in the non-peak season. What a gimmick!!!

The introduction of the 63 new trains seems like a good move, but without the required infrastructure growth, would it be possible to ensure timely running of trains.. Or the cleanliness of toilets on board?? This apart, I see Bihar, and to some extent Tamil Nadu gobbling up a lions share of these new trains. Regionalism?? Nah, they are just taking the divisive politics to a new level..

What Lalu has effectively done over the last 5 years is disastrous, and his successor will inherit a overloaded, over fatigued network of rail lines, not to mention the sixth pay commission recommendations , which could topple the boat.. I have a feeling even if the UPA manages to win in 2009, Lalu may not want to be the railway minister again!!!