The editorial “Too good to last” (July 6) has rightly said that a slew of new trains and grandiose projects to upgrade railway stations is something the country can ill afford. That has been the populist way of railway ministers in the past and Mamata Banerjee has not proved to be different in that regard. The Budget has ignored the vital aspect of passenger safety. The existing railway network has become quite inadequate to cope up with and handle the magnitude of train and passenger traffic. Expansion, improvement and modernisation of existing tracks and operating and controlling systems and ensuring the safety of passengers need to be the priority sectors which should have the first right on the available resources. New trains and upgrading of railway stations to world-class levels can wait.
M C Joshi, Lucknow
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