Hike in fares for Mumbai unlikely, says Railway Board member

Mumbaikars may not see a hike in railway fares in the coming budget in February 2017 as no such proposal is currently being discussed in Delhi, said Railway Board member (Traffic), Mohammedd Jamshed. However, both central and western railway in Mumbai has demanded that fares be raised.

Mr Jamshed, who was in the city on Tuesday to review passenger earnings of all zonal railways at CST, said, “Currently, no proposal to increase fares on the Mumbai suburban is being reviewed by the board. We are trying to increase earnings through other streams like commercial.” The statement assumes significance as city railway was of the opinion that Union minister Suresh Prabhu, who himself hails from Mumbai, was likely to increase fares.

Mr Jamshed, who is in Mumbai for two days, will visit Jawarharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) on Wednesday. He also said that despite all the controversies surrounding the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor, work for the same would begin by January next year. “There have been issues but most of them are at the end of being resolved and we expect that work will begin in January,” he added.

Work on the corridor, pegged at Rs 98,000 crore, was to start from BKC but it showed signs of delay after Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Authority (MMRDA) refused to give the required land parcel.