Indian Railways To Float Bids In The Next Two Weeks Inviting Private Players To Run 150 New Trains 

Indian Railways will float bids in the next two weeks inviting private players to run 150 modern trains based on a revenue-sharing model, Railway Board chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav confirmed on Monday.

A total of 100 routes have been identified for introduction of 150 privatised passenger trains. Of the 100 routes, 35 will connect to the national capital New Delhi, 26 to Mumbai, 12 to Kolkata, 11 to Chennai and eight to Bengaluru.

Indian Railways has opted for revenue-sharing model with private players over the more contentious profit-sharing models.

According to a Livemint report , the Indian Railway will continue to handle the core infrastructure, maintenance, operations, and safety while the selected private train operators will be allowed to lease trains racks and provide better on-board experience and services to the passengers, in terms of food, comfort, and entertainment.

In October this year, the government formed a task force to draw a blueprint for handing over operations of 150 trains and 50 railway stations to private operators in a "time-bound manner".

Besides Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Chairman Railway Board VK Yadav, the other members of the taskforce included urban affairs secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, and economic affairs secretary Atanu Chakraborty.

The country's first private train Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express, operated by IRCTC, was flagged off on October 4. It is part of Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways bid to allow private passenger train operators to run around 150 trains on its network. IRCTC has a slew of benefits worked out for its passengers - combination meals, free insurance of up to Rs 25 lakh and compensation in case of delays.