Start RailFanning NOW, learn to live - before you run out of time - Varun

It is difficult to say whether IR actually lost money due to non operation of the passenger trains from Budgam to Srinagar. Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla project is likely to cost about 25000 crores at completion, i.e. at a cost which is 10 times the cost per km of normal track. With a few passenger trains running on the route right now, fare of which (ordinary unreserved second class/ season tickets) is a small fraction of the fare charged by the bus operators operating on the route. It is quite possible that IR may not be recovering the variable cost of operation of trains on the route through the passenger revenues. In that case operating the train is a bigger loss than not operating the train!
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of Konkan Railway is inflated by 25%(pax)/40%(Freight) in order to partly recover the high cost of construction, operation and maintenance, due to its hilly terrain. With the JUSB project, the terrain, cost as well as environment is much more tougher, even then the distance is not inflated. Probably Umbala-CDG section is also inflated(?). There should be a uniform policy regarding the inflation of distance which is equivalent to a surcharge. Such surcharge is also being levied since decades for the thane creek bridge on harbour line of Mumbai.