Railways to invite pvt players for passenger train operations

New Delhi:  In a major push for the private entities in the Indian Railways, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said that the national transporter has invited request for qualifications for private participation for passenger train operations on 109 pairs of routes through 151 modern trains.
In a tweet, Goyal said, “Railways invites request for qualifications for private participation for passenger train operations on 109 pairs of routes through 151 modern trains. This initiative will boost job creation, reduce transit time, provide enhanced safety and world-class facilities to passengers.”
His remarks came soon after the railway ministry in a statement said that it plans to allow private entities to operate passenger trains. The project would entail private sector investment of about Rs 30,000 crore, the ministry said.
According to the railway ministry, this is the first initiative of private investment for running passenger trains over Indian Railways network. The move began last year with the introduction of Lucknow-