• Indian Railways carried 8.224 billion originating passengers in 2012, with an average travel distance of 127.2 kilometres. Narinder Nanu / AFP
    Indian Railways carried 8.224 billion originating passengers in 2012, with an average travel distance of 127.2 kilometres. Narinder Nanu / AFP
  • India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge in his budget presentation introduced 72 new trains. Punit Paranjpe / AFP
    India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge in his budget presentation introduced 72 new trains. Punit Paranjpe / AFP
  • India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge also promised that passenger service to religious tourist destinations, such as Vaishno Debi and Katra, will be launched shortly. Kevin Frayer / AP Photo
    India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge also promised that passenger service to religious tourist destinations, such as Vaishno Debi and Katra, will be launched shortly. Kevin Frayer / AP Photo
  • Indian Railways managed to increase the number of carriages to 64,875 versus a target of 62,000 for the fiscal year 2013. Anindito Mukherjee / Reuters
    Indian Railways managed to increase the number of carriages to 64,875 versus a target of 62,000 for the fiscal year 2013. Anindito Mukherjee / Reuters
  • India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge said in his budget presentation that passenger safety is on top of the ministry’s agenda. Ahmad Masood / Reuters
    India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge said in his budget presentation that passenger safety is on top of the ministry’s agenda. Ahmad Masood / Reuters
  • Indian Railways’ freight loading target for the next fiscal year was set at 1.1 billion tonnes. Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP Photo
    Indian Railways’ freight loading target for the next fiscal year was set at 1.1 billion tonnes. Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP Photo
  • Congress vice president Rahul Gandi promised to take up with railways minister Mallikarjun Kharge porters’ porters’ demand for a complimentary pass for the entire family not once but twice in a year. Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters
    Congress vice president Rahul Gandi promised to take up with railways minister Mallikarjun Kharge porters’ porters’ demand for a complimentary pass for the entire family not once but twice in a year. Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters
  • Freight and passenger earnings at Indian Railways have shown a decline during the April-December 2013 period. Manish Swarup / AP Photo
    Freight and passenger earnings at Indian Railways have shown a decline during the April-December 2013 period. Manish Swarup / AP Photo
  • Among the 72 new Indian Railways trains that are being introduced, 17 are premium trains, 38 express trains and 10 passenger trains. Punit Paranjpe / AFP
    Among the 72 new Indian Railways trains that are being introduced, 17 are premium trains, 38 express trains and 10 passenger trains. Punit Paranjpe / AFP
  • An Indian woman holds on to railings of a window inside an overcrowded train as she travels home for the Chhath Puja festival dedicated to the Sun God. India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge said that passenger service to religious tourist destinations will be launched shortly. Kevin Frayer / AP Photo. Kevin Frayer / AP Photo
    An Indian woman holds on to railings of a window inside an overcrowded train as she travels home for the Chhath Puja festival dedicated to the Sun God. India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge said that passenger service to religious tourist destinations will be launched shortly. Kevin Frayer / AP Photo. Kevin Frayer / AP Photo
  • A vendor moves from one train to another at a railway station in Kolkata. Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters
    A vendor moves from one train to another at a railway station in Kolkata. Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters
  • A worker unties a stack of iron pipes after they are unloaded from a train wagon at a yard in Ahmedabad. Indian Railwaus carried 866.14 million tonnes of revenue-earning freight traffic from April last year to January. Amit Dave / Reuters
    A worker unties a stack of iron pipes after they are unloaded from a train wagon at a yard in Ahmedabad. Indian Railwaus carried 866.14 million tonnes of revenue-earning freight traffic from April last year to January. Amit Dave / Reuters
  • India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge allowed dynamic fares in special trains to capitalise on the increased demand of berths, with Delhi-Mumbai sector as a pilot project. Manish Swarup / AP Photo
    India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge allowed dynamic fares in special trains to capitalise on the increased demand of berths, with Delhi-Mumbai sector as a pilot project. Manish Swarup / AP Photo
  • The feet of an Indian man hangs out from an overcrowded train at a railway station in New Delhi. Indian Railways plans to explore low-cost options for raising speeds to between 160kmph and 200 kmph on some routes like Delhi-Agra and Delhi-Chandigarh. Tsering Topgyal / AP Photo
    The feet of an Indian man hangs out from an overcrowded train at a railway station in New Delhi. Indian Railways plans to explore low-cost options for raising speeds to between 160kmph and 200 kmph on some routes like Delhi-Agra and Delhi-Chandigarh. Tsering Topgyal / AP Photo

Business

In pictures: One-track future for India’s railways

Liz Claus

February 12, 2014

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The interim 2014 budget presentation of India’s railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday ended in exactly 20 minutes, and one of the biggest attraction was that passenger fares and freight rates were kept unchanged.

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