Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Rooting for high-speed trains

G.V.L. Satya Kumar, senior DCM of ECoR, Waltair, addressing students at Bullayya College during a lecture organised by Business Line Club in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Pre-feasibility studies for introducing high speed trains travelling at 350 km. per hour in the country are being undertaken, according to the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Waltair Division in East Coast Railway, G.V.L. Satya Kumar.

Disclosing this during his presentation at a Business Line Club conference at Dr. L. Bullayya College in the city on Friday, the railway official said that the Government was being impressed on the need for introducing the high speed trains, particularly in the area of their environmental friendliness.

“Already HSRs exist in Japan since 1964, in Italy since 1978 and in many other European countries. By introducing such trains, you can go from Vizag to Vijayawada in 45 minutes, from Hyderabad to Vizag in a couple of hours. There are proposals in create four HSR corridors, one of them from Amritsar to Delhi where urban population is concentrated. The about 300 km. stretch, which normally takes four-and-a-half hours can be covered in 45 minutes,” he pointed out.

Mr. Satya Kumar said though the advantages of HSR are many, the problem was the high cost. While it cost Rs.3 crores per km. of laying ordinary rail, in the case of HSR it would be as high as Rs.200 crores per km. with no surface crossing allowed. “But such trains are low on carbon emissions and that is one good reason for seriously considering the issue. Environment should be taken into account in taking such decisions,” he said and advised the students to consider the pros and cons of the issue.

Giving a detailed presentation on what he called the spectacular turnaround of the Indian Railways during the past four to five years after Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav assumed charge as the Railway Minister, he said that at present the Railways was getting return of 21 per cent on capital invested, one of the highest in the world, and even the economic recession would not seriously impede its progress. He attributed the turnaround to intensive use of assets, lowering of unit costs through high volumes and improvement in turnaround of wagons.

Replying to questions, Mr. Satya Kumar said the Railways were undertaking many projects in the public-private partnership mode and many of the major stations in the country would be developed to world class standards. What the Railways had achieved in recent times was quite remarkable, all the while discharging its social responsibilities through cross-subsidisation.

Director of Management Studies of the college K.V.S. Patnaik, Secretary and Correspondent G. Madhu Kumar and Director-Administraiton, Bhaskar Reddy spoke. Regional General Manager of The Hindu, T.V. Suresh spoke of the aims of Business Line Club.

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