Railway privatisation round 1 goes off track amid operational hurdles

The lack of an independent regulator to ensure that the Railways Ministry gives a level-playing field to private- and government-run trains was a deterrent for the players

The first round of railways privatisation bids have been nixed by a mix of operational hurdles, a slump in passenger traffic due to Covid-19, and fear of competing with the Indian Railways itself. To add to these, fixed costs, that would keep building up seem to have blighted the private rail tenders.
 
Sector watchers said these trains were to compete with high-speed trains of the Indian Railways such as the Rajdhani Express on popular routes. While private players can try to match the service, speed, and efficiency, they will find it hard to match fares set by the Indian