In a move that will pave the way for operations of private passenger trains, the Railway Ministry has received bids worth Rs 7,200 crore from both private as well as public sector to operate passenger trains. "Bids for PPP in passenger train operations project opened today. Bids from private and public sectors to operate 29 pairs of trains with around 40 modern rakes entailing an investment of around Rs 7,200 crore have been received," a release from the Railway Ministry said. Railways will expeditiously complete the evaluation and decide the bids, the ministry said. The ministry said that the bids for PPP in passenger trains were opened today after detailed exercise and multiple rounds of discussion with the industry players.
"This is an entirely new attempt to bring world class trains through Public Private Participation (PPP) in India," it added.