Railway Ministry sets up High Speed Rail Corp.

New Delhi: The Railway Ministry has formed a High Speed Rail Corporation, which will evaluate ways to implement high-speed train projects in India.

Incidentally, this is not the first such body announced by the Ministry. Earlier, the Ministry had announced formation of a High Speed Railway Authority to do a similar task. According to Ministry officials, both organisations will co-exist.

“The two institutions will co-exist. HSRA will be under the Ministry of Railways to form standards on ticketing, tracks, rolling stock, while HSRC will be under Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd and will be an institution that will do ground level work,” said Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar. Kumar also added that HSRA is a medium to set technology standard, “but we need not wait for HSRA, as we have Railway Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), a body which sets such standards.”

However, an official press release of Railway Ministry stated that HSRC (and not HSRA) would undertake project activities such as preparation of project related studies and technical standards high speed rail corridors.

Kumar avoided a clear reply on which body will come first: HSRA or HSRC, but indications are that HSRC will be operational first.

Safety measures
Meanwhile, Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said that while it is good to have high-speed railway systems, India should not rush into adopting some high speed rail technology just because it is cheap. It is important to be aware of the safety aspect, he said.

“Today, we have started the process. Later on its terms and condition, appointment of members, other things will be decided,” Kharge said.

Indicating that full costs of high speed rail technology may not be clear upfront, he added, “One should not buy horses because horse shoes are freely available. We should not get even if it is available free. Some time they sell it to buyers saying it is cheap. We should think whether it suits or not even if it is free or cheap.”