Tejas Express: Indian Railways` Leap toward Privatization?

In India, the development of an integrated railway system started in the early 1850s under the British Colonial rule (See Exhibit I). Initially, IR operated trains with steam engines that were used to transport various kinds of material between different places. The first commercial passenger train in India ran between Bombay (now called Mumbai) and Thane on April 16, 1853. The distance of 34 kilometres was covered in about 75 minutes. Soon, railway lines began to be laid in other parts of the country, mostly by British companies, and consequently several key regions in India became connected by rail....