CHENNAI: Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reaffirmed on Saturday that the Centre has no plans to privatise the national transporter and stressed the importance of the sector accepting new technologies to meet customer expectations, particularly in terms of safety and comfort.

He stated while virtually inaugurating the 20th all-India conference of the Bharatiya Railway Mazdoor Sangh (BRMS) at Rail mandapam, Perambur Chennai , from Delhi, that technology should be indigenous, like the contribution of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to Vande Bharat Express. ICF designed and produced the Vande Bharat Express at Perambur as part of the Centre's Make in India project.

"The opposition parties have often claimed that the railways are being privatised. I'd like to declare unequivocally that the railways are a large and complex organization...there is no plan to privatise the railways. 'There are no such intentions,' the minister stated. He stated that what is foremost in his mind (as an administrator) is to endeavour to do what is best for the railways and to move it forward.

"There is no affinity for railway privatisation, but technology should be infused," Vaishnaw said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has publicly stated that the Central government has no plans to privatise trains.

In order to achieve progress, the minister stated that technology must be flexed to meet the Aatmanirbhar Bharat goal. "This should meet the nation's goals, as well as the aspirations of the youth, the emerging middle class, and the 8 million passengers." He compared the contribution to ICF's involvement in planning and building the Vande Bharat Express.

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