More Private Trains on Indian Tracks

1. Process for entry of private trains in Indian Railways has been initiated.
2. This initiative will aim at providing enhanced security, fast service and modern technology.
3. The government  has invited private companies to take part in Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for operation of passenger trains on over 100 routes with 150 modern trains.
4. The Ministry of Railways said this initiative will attract investments of about ?30,000 crore.

The Private Trains

1. The private trains will run from 109 Origin Destinations.
2. There will be 151 trains between these tracks.
3. Each Train shall have a minimum of 16 coaches.
4. The trains will be designed for a maximum speed of 160 kmph.
5. The objective of the initiative is to introduce modern technology  and reduced maintenance & transit time.

Tejas Express: The First Private Train

1. The Delhi-Lucknow Tejas is the first private train that is not operated by the Indian Railways.
2. Tejas Express is run by IRCTC(Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) which is a public sector undertaking.
3. IRCTC has also run the Tejas Express between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and the Kashi Mahakal Express (between Varanasi and Indore).

Indigenous Trains

1. The trains will be totally made in India and the private firms will bear the expenditure of their manufacturing and maintenance.
2. The initiative will reduce the journey time on all the tracks.
3. The journey time will be comparable to or faster than the fastest train of Indian Railways.
4. The “Concession Period” for the project will be 35 years, and the private entity will pay to Indian Railways fixed haulage charges, energy charges as per actual consumption, and a share in gross revenue determined through a transparent bidding process.
5. These private trains will be run by drivers and guards of the Indian Railways.

The Branding Booster

1. The traffic earnings have dropped by a whopping 58% in the pandemic.
2. The Indian Railways has decided to allow sponsorship of trains and stations.
3. The NGOs will also be allowed to adopt stations for cleaning activity to curb the expenditure burden.
4. The cost of platform tickets may also be increased to manage the rush on the stations.
5. Anti-littering rules may be intensified to keep the message clear that platforms are not to litter.

2.  ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar
steps down

1. Shashank Manohar, the Chairman of International Cricket Council (ICC) has put the papers officially.
2. Mr. Manohar remained the head of the Council for four years.
3. For now Singapore’s Imran Khwaja will take the charges as interim chairman until the next appointment.
4. Mr. Khwaja has been Manohar’s deputy previously and has best understanding of the organization.

Quick Elections coming

1. With Mr. Manohar gone and Mr. Khwaja promoted as an interim Chairman, the board is preparing quick elections.
2. The board will approve election procedure within the next week.
3. Manohar, who made a surprising return as BCCI president in 2015 following Jagmohan Dalmiya’s demise, resigned from the BCCI and took over as the first independent chairman of the ICC in 2016.

Left a better ICC

1. There is no doubt that cricket owes Shashank a debt of gratitude for all he has done for the sport,” said Khwaja.
2. “He has left cricket and the ICC in a better place than he found it.”