Indian Railways: Do you know what is the policy of declaring trains as superfast in the country? CAG has raised many questions on Indian Railways in its report.
Indian Railways: Can trains running at the speed of 55 kmph be called superfast? This question has been raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The CAG has said that the 55 kmph norm is too low to classify trains as ‘superfast’. There are many Indian Railways trains which run at even lesser speed. Yet they are called superfast.
55km speed standard too low’
According to the CAG report, the 55 kmph standard for declaring trains as ‘superfast’ is in itself low. The CAG said that since 2007 there has been no change in the standard for classifying trains as ‘superfast’.
478 Superfast Trains Checking
According to the report, ‘It was found in the audit that 478 superfast trains of Indian Railways were checked. It was found out that the stipulated speed of 123 superfast trains was less than 55 kmph. The CAG in its audit also found that there has been an increase in the travel time of trains and a decline in the overall punctuality in the last few years amid a slight improvement in the average speed.
CAG reviews railway grievance management system. Which has shown that the number of complaints regarding punctuality in Indian Railways has increased rapidly.
Rules made in 2007
Let us inform that Indian Railways had decided in May 2007 that if a train runs at a minimum speed of 55 kmph on broad gauge and 45 kmph on meter gauge, then it will be considered as ‘superfast’. In November last year, the Railways clarified its policy to declare trains as ‘superfast’. In that also it was announced that the average speed of such trains should be more than 55 kmph.
