The private train mirage

No short-cut to reform in the Indian Railways

The possibility that Indian train travellers may soon be able to book a ticket on a privately-run train has seized the imagination of many observers of the sector. It has been reported that the Indian Railways is almost ready with its blueprint for public-private partnerships (PPPs) on rail travel, and may bid out routes as early as next year. This timeline is reasonable, given that the dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) are likely to come online in the next two years, freeing up a considerable amount of capacity on the existing mixed-use corridors between Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. New tracks that