Faced with stiff competition, the Indian Railways will soon launch frequent traveller schemes to counter the apex and cheap fares being offered by the airlines. Besides, a Passenger Profile Management System (PPMS) — which is currently tracking five trains — is also being planned to study the profitability of specific trains and routes. ‘‘A fine-tuned strategy of the Indian Railways, which carries 1.5 crore passengers daily, is already in place to counter the aviation sector offensive,’’ Chairman of Railway Board R.K. Singh said here on Monday. Singh was speaking about the challenges ahead for the Railways after delivering the Foundation Day lecture at the Indian Railways Institute of Civil Engineering. He said in spite of competition from the no-frill airlines, the Railways has witnessed a 6 per cent rise in traffic last year. In fact, the Railways crossed its freight target of 580 million tonne and the actual movement was 600 million tonne. In the coming fiscal, the Railways will give bonus points to frequent travellers to counter apex fares, Singh said. On the safety front, Singh said the Railways was taking definite measures to bring down the collision rate. He said field trials of new crash-worthy coaches would be held at RDSO, Lucknow on March 29. Once the preliminary trials were successful, the new coaches would be manufactured with the American technology.
