Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
The committee’s comments came after the Railway Ministry admitted that “the biggest challenge faced by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) in running trains is the availability of crew.” In a presentation to the committee, the ministry provided details about the number of employees in various categories involved in train operations on Indian Railways by June 1, 2025. According to the ministry, out of the sanctioned strength of 1,42,814 loco pilots, the actual strength is 1,07,928.
Similarly, out of 22,082 sanctioned posts for Goods Train Managers (Guards), only 12,345 posts are filled at present. The total sanctioned strength for all categories including station masters and station superintendents is 2,06,495, but the actual number of working employees is 1,59,219.
“The Committee emphasizes that the crew shortage must be urgently resolved to reduce delays, improve operations and ensure uninterrupted freight movement across the DFC network,” the report said.
The Committee urged Indian Railways to take effective measures to ensure availability of adequate crew required for smooth operation of trains on the DFC network.
The Standing Committee on Railways, in its sixth report on “Increasing freight-related earnings of Indian Railways and development of dedicated freight corridors”, presented in the Lok Sabha for 2025-26, examined several aspects of freight operations including challenges and proposed measures for improvement.
The committee said freight services contribute about 65 per cent to the total earnings of Indian Railways, while the remaining 35 per cent comes from passenger services, parcel services and non-fare revenue streams.
“The railways can keep passenger fares affordable for the general public mainly due to freight earnings,” the report said.
It also pointed out that structural constraints within rail logistics, such as lack of first and last mile connectivity, high costs for short-distance freight, and terminal and mobility limitations, hinder the ability to grow freight revenues.
The Committee suggested that closely monitoring sector-wise targets, especially related to mobility, would strengthen efforts to boost freight revenues across sectors.
The Committee recommended that the Ministry conduct an annual comprehensive assessment of freight rates taking into account commodity-wise competitiveness, existing market demand and operating costs.
Based on this assessment, it is suggested to rationalize freight rates to enhance competitiveness with road transport.
On revenue enhancement initiatives, the Committee urged Indian Railways to explore ways to increase its non-fare revenue. In particular, it suggested that advertising on rail coaches and wagons should be taken seriously as a viable revenue-generating measure.
The Committee acknowledged the need to add about 30,000 wagons annually by the Railways, but also said that increased private sector participation could significantly improve the timely availability of required wagons.
“In this regard, the Committee urges Indian Railways to actively promote private sector investment in wagons by setting a concrete target to promote private ownership of wagons,” it said.
Furthermore, the committee highlighted that the average speed of freight trains on the Indian Railways network in 2024-25 was 23.8 km/h. The Committee appreciated the steps taken to increase train speed, such as upgrading infrastructure, modernization of rolling stock, doubling of critical sections and multi-tracking and streamlining of operations.
It also urged the Ministry to expeditiously pursue these initiatives to improve the competitiveness of rail freight transportation and facilitate the transition from road to rail.
With regard to the speed of freight trains on the DFC network, which the Railway Ministry projected to be 37 km/h by 2024-25, the Committee considered this to be a significant improvement over the speed of the conventional railway network, but felt that there was considerable scope for further growth.