Suburban train users may have to pay more

  • | Saturday | 22nd September, 2018

BENGALURU: Suburban train passengers in the city may soon have to shell out more. It’s not financially feasible to execute the Rs 17,000 crore project on a par with the existing suburban train fares. This means suburban train users in Bengaluru will have to pay more than those in cities like Mumbai and Chennai.“We have asked the railways to allow the proposed SPV to fix fares. “Suburban train fares are normally fixed by the railway board, which is applicable to every state. At present, about 1.5 lakh passengers are using about 110 suburban services per day.However, the BJP has alleged that the ruling coalition is not "keen" on implementing the suburban rail network.

BENGALURU: Suburban train passengers in the city may soon have to shell out more. Reason: Fares for the services operated by the proposed special purpose vehicle (SPV) for Bengaluru’s suburban rail project will not be linked to fares of Indian Railways.The railways has agreed in-principle to the state’s demand for a separate tariff to implement the 161-km suburban rail project. This means suburban train users in Bengaluru will have to pay more than those in cities like Mumbai and Chennai.“We have asked the railways to allow the proposed SPV to fix fares. It’s not financially feasible to execute the Rs 17,000 crore project on a par with the existing suburban train fares. The SPV will take a decision on fare revision, which will be applicable to the existing suburban services in the city,” said a senior government official.“The SPV should be financially independent. It should be able to take decisions on fares, routes and operations. It’s autonomy will also be helpful in attracting investors to raise adequate financial resources for the project,” he added.At present, suburban train passengers across the country are paying a minimum fare of Rs 5, which is fixed by the railway board. In Bengaluru, which is yet to have a dedicated suburban train network, passengers are paying Rs 10 for traveling in the existing skeletal suburban service.Confirming the decision, Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, who was part of a recent meeting of public representatives on suburban rail, said the proposal would empower the SPV to charge rates which are minimal for intracity travel vis-a-vis the Namma Metro network.“The rates are proposed to be higher than the minimum railway fare but won’t exceed Namma Metro charges. The suburban rail will help 35 lakh passengers and ease the pressure on the existing road network,” he said.South Western Railway (SWR) officials said the decision on fares for suburban trains will be taken after the SPV is formed. TOI had recently reported that the SPV is likely to be fully functional only by the end of this year. The process to change the shareholding pattern in Rail Infrastructure Development Company Karnataka Limited (K-RIDE) is nearing completion.“The railways will announce the fare structure for all suburban trains based on the recommendations of SPV,” said a senior SWR official, adding: “The railways will fix a fare structure to recover the operating losses and capital cost. The structure will be applicable to the projects taken up under this policy and may be different from the one adopted by railways for other suburban systems.”Sources in the railways say allowing the SPV to fix fares will set a precedent. “Suburban train fares are normally fixed by the railway board, which is applicable to every state. SPV is mainly for sharing the construction cost and giving fare fixation power has not given in the past. In fact, even zonal railways have no power to fix fares for suburban services on their capabilities” said a senior railway official. At present, about 1.5 lakh passengers are using about 110 suburban services per day.However, the BJP has alleged that the ruling coalition is not "keen" on implementing the suburban rail network. “The government is not showing the urgency to implement it,” said Mohan.

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