New Delhi: The government on Friday asserted that there was no question of privatising the Railways, but asserted that it will invite investments for new technology, lines and projects in national interest. “There is no question of privatisation of the railways. The railways cannot be privatised.
However, if we have to increase the facilities in railways then obviously we need investments for it. We have taken a decision to encourage public private partnerships and we will also corporatise some units,” railway minister Piyush Goyal, who was replying to a debate on the Demand for Grants for Railways, said.
“We should invite investment in national interest if someone is ready to get new technology, new stations, projects and lines,” the minister told the House.
During the course of his reply, the minister reeled out figures to claim that the Modi government has performed much better in boosting both infrastructure and safety parameters of the national transporter as compared to the UPA era. The minister said that the Modi government had managed to turn the railways around in the past five years.
Mr Goyal said that the Modi government had inherited a dilapidated railways.
