Vivek Express: ऊंचे नीचे रास्ते और मंज़िल तेरी दूर.

Regarding a separate RM or whether current RM is the best or not I don't have an opinion yet. But regarding some of the issues IR is facing you can't totally put the blame on him like frequent train delays, increasing AC coaches to increase revenue as for these even previous govts. should be blamed for not forecasting future rise in traffic due to growing economy and increasing fares gradually in proportion to rise in per capita income.
However I would blame the current govt. and not just the RM for the following:
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Overcrowding in trains across the classes and for this reduction in AC classes is not the cause because even in trains with 10 LHB SL coaches the problem persists just like in trains with 2 SL coaches. Solutions to this can be more RPF, reducing WL allowed, reserving UR as 2S like in long distance trains, automatic closing doors, punishing the IR staff who take bribes and allow the crowd.
2. Running dedicated VB trains and complicating the already complicated train categories. I'm not against the concept of VB trainsets but I feel rather than running them as dedicated trains instead existing Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi trains should have been upgraded to VB trainsets and merged in a single category. Also running VB on KR single line route where a JS and Tejas already exists is a bad decision as non premium trains are already not running on time coz of single line and rather they should have increased frequency of overcrowded M/E trains on KR. One senior IRI member (whom I have blocked now) berated me when I said Goa doesn't need any new train to Mumbai but needs to other parts of India, by saying he knows Goa more than me as he frequently instead of me born and brought up in Goa.
3. Train mishaps as the CAG report clearly stated in many accident cases proper maintenance and regular inspections were not carried out.

But current govt. do deserve credit for finally realizing the fact that current rail network is oversaturated and even in future the demand will rise and taking up projects like DFCs, doubling, tripling, new lines, etc. Also they do deserve the credit for increasing the pace of LHB conversion of trains which was horrible under the UPA regime. Also in may sections MPS upgrades to 130kph may not have yielded results now but may in future when the routes become less saturated when things like DFCs come up in across India.

Also regarding replacing SL coaches with AC coaches that was a great initiative but badly implemented later when the started to reduce SL coaches to just 2 and with poor crowd management it became worse.
They should have stuck to the previous rake standardization policy of 9/10 AC coaches, 7 SL and 3 GS plus one SLR and implemented it only in long distance trains initially depending on the demographics the trains serve also pricing 3E fares around 25 to 30% less than 3A would have seen many SL class passengers willingly upgrading to 3E rather than being forced to.

Certainly I don't blame this govt alone but it is sheer negligence to not address the unreserved passengers issue. As far as wait-list are concerned, I would suggest introducing a premium tatkal concept after all the coaches get 50% booked. Then they can increase the fare gradually until a certain threshold maybe till a certain upper class fare. So that even in case that SL is fully booked and any AC is empty, they can simply collect the fare and allot the seat accordingly. This will discourage folks to reserve seats upto the brim. And coming to RPF, I really don't understand what their assignments are, when you see the way they carry out their duties. They should think about introducing more 2S coach trains with reservations. It's very funny to see GS costs just 40-50 RS less than 2S and people force their way into GS and 2S runs unbooked...
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but filled with Unreserved folk. Ticket counter employees should be trained to educate the consumer to choose between various available classes in a train. They already ask what train they want to board.

In trains travelling more than 24 hours journey they should start reserving General coaches. Also priority should be now to introduce more short distance passenger trains so that locals can commute in them rather than boarding long distance trains and introduction of new premium trains should be stopped as of now and VB trainsets produced should be given to existing premium trains. When SL VB trainsets are out they should give them to Rajdhani, Durontos, etc. rather than advertising as some new innovation people are literally tired of that nonsense now even on Twitter you can see RW supporters of the govt. are also critical of that now seeing the condition of M/E trains in which the masses travel.
The only...
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premium segment IR should now focus is the bullet train which will occupy seperate network without congesting the existing saturated railways.

Regarding increase of fares I completed Blame the present UPA government in power for the past 10 years hasn't increased fares may be in 2015 afterthat no increase in fares inspite of good majority on it own in House. I have my previous mails and found GS reserved fare for 350km is Rs 150 in 2015-16 and now Rs 155 so increase is only in SF surcharge, Reservation fee and GST for AC classes from 2016.

Regarding rake standardization 10AC and 10Non AC is best suitable for Indian public as...
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a whole. The concept of 3ACE has gone wrong due to wrong pricing strategy adopted by Railway Board which should be Garib Rath fare in between SL and 3AC which would have made SL passengers switch to AC class. As a RM he should have taken this subject of standardization and pricing of 3ACE and corrected but has failed to do so. Atleast now he should correct it and make standard as 8/7 SL as 4SL + 4/3 3ACE in normal express trains.