Pawan Kumar Bansal hints at hike in railway fare

NEW DELHI: Indicating at a possible fare hike in near future, new Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that he would work on improving the financial and physical health of the railways. "If fare will be increased, then it will be for providing better services to the passengers," Bansal said.

"The improvement in services will make way for an increase in fare." With the railways facing financial crunch, the minister is all set to ensure that all services are viable propositions. "The motive is not to commercialise rail services but to make it financially viable. We have to ensure that the vast infrastructure of the railways functions smoothly," he said.