DC Line - ये आग का दरिया पार कर पाना नहीं था आसान ...पर धनबादवासियों के इरादे हैं चट्टान.... चलाकर रहेंगे इसपर रेल गाड़ी महान... - Niket Karan

-A very sorry state of affairs for IR. Forget earning a net profit on huge investment, IR is unable to earn operational profits. A business venture is considered worthy of shutdown if it incurs an operational loss.
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A few days before there was a newspaper report that sleeper class of a particular train is costing more than flight charges!! Just extracting more from pockets of customers cannot be a motto for a government organisation like IR, especially in view of the fact that it is being treated as a sacred cow (monopoly...
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status) by the Government.
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IR is constantly trying to justify exorbitant fares of poorly patronised Suvidha/ SpecialFare/ Tatkal/ Flexifare trains with an argument that their revenue has marginally increased due to these trains by about Rs. 500 Crores per annum. This amount is peanuts for IR with annual revenue close to Rs 2,00,000 Crores. Had such fares not implemented, probably revenue would increased by more than Rs 500 crores/annum.
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One important fact that IR is losing its market share to airlines and roadways continues to be overlooked by IR. It has already plummeted from about 70-75% in 1950 to about 15-20%. Continuing with premium fares shall further accelerate this downslide of IR.
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Saving of IR in containing fuel expenses over the years is appreciable. But IR has to contain its manpower cost (Salary & Pension expenses), which is exorbitantly high (about 60% of total revenue). Else jugglery of accounts to show marginal operational profits is not going to help IR in the long run.

I too Feel Sorry for IR, an totally agree with you its not operational expenses much but those spent on fringe benefits of IR personnel are too much...
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now I am hearing that IR is going again review the fare scheme. That's shame that all burden is again put onto consumer side. Yes there is need of fare increment in general and sleeper classes, but hiking prices of premium trains for no reason (without providing satisfiable amenities) is absurd.
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Railway should seriously start thinking over whopping benefits given to their employees (especially grade A, B officers). Their should criterion to give them allowances not much like now, so high ones.