Are we really a developed country in terms of rail infrastruture so as to have a proftable railway board.
The answer is no and not till the next 50 years atleast or more. The country needs vast investments in improving the current railway infrastructure as well as increasing the reach of the rail network. All of this requires a lot of investments and borrowings rather than making profits and sharing it with the shareholders (Read Govt of India.)
Our rail coaches even the best one that one can see in Shatabdi or Rajdhani are outdated and the designs are a full century old. We still do not have the concept of reserved travel. Our safety standards in railways are abysmal to the extent that even the doors on trains are open and manual.
In terms of railway station infrastrure hygiene, design, clean toilets, none of our railways stations compare even to the remotest of railway stations in the world.
The world is progressing rapidly by building faster, better trains travelling at over 500 kmph and the railways boast non sensically over the fastest indian trains travelling at around 150 kmph.
Our honorable railways minister would be well remembered for his term, were he to ensure even clean toilets in trains or railway statations.
