The first three status papers, issued with a marked difference compared to Mamta Banerjee's Whitepaper, were an objective analysis and evaluation of issues and options before the Railways in perspective in order to help the planners in the Government build and improve a hassle-free rail services to the nation. The Union Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee had tabled the White paper together with a Vision 2020 document on the last day of the Winter Session of Parliament in December 2009.

From the tenor of her railway budget 2009-2010 speech in the Lok Sabha on July 3, 2009, it seemed the Minister of Railways Mamta Banerjee was up to some mischief to prove that the last five year stewardship of Indian Railways under the leadership of Lalu Prasad was 'a make-believe hype of railways turn around'. But the ground reality was different from what she had intended to project. Nevertheless, she alludes the 'so called' turn around to three factors: a booming economy and two changes in accounting norms unmindful of the fact that during her first tenure, the railways were on the brink despite a booming economy. Even the railways had to defer annual dividend payment of Rs.2, 473 crores to the exchequer during Madam Minister's first tenure., which was paid during the period under evaluation.

Ms Banerjee maintains that other factors that helped the railways improve its productivity included increased carrying capacity of rolling stock with a bearing on wear and tear of track and rolling stock, reduction in terminal detention, increasing the maintenance cycle and better asset utilization. This, however, did not satisfy the Railway Minister, who maintained that 'Indian Railways was still far below global parameters in operational efficiency'. As for passenger earnings, compounded growth was 1.27 per cent per kilometre passenger despite no increase in fares. Yet cumulative losses in passenger earnings were of Rs.14, 000 crores. The whitepaper further states that two changes in accounting, during the period, increased the cash surplus by Rs.17, 006 crores.

The whitepaper goes on showing the five year cash surplus in descending order as to how the cumulative surplus of Rs.88, 669 crores before dividend was eroded after dividend, absorption of the Sixth Pay Commission and enhanced appropriation to Depreciation Reserve Fund, Development Fund and Capital Fund with a reduced investible cash surplus of Rs.20, 269 crores. All the same, the white paper maintains that 'the traffic growth performance was below par for the entire period as growth elasticity for transport of 1.25 hovered around only 0.79 and contribution of railways to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remained stagnant at 1.18.

Added to this, achievement of 1093 kilometres of new lines, 4717 kilometres of gauge conversion, 1687 kilometres of doubling and 2150 kilometres of electrification are shown far below Chinese accomplishments. The paper also mentions that during the last five years (2004-05 to 2008-09), railways total plan expenditure was Rs.124,578 crores, of which component of budgetary support was Rs.43,436 crores, internal resource Rs.56,868 crores, and market borrowings and wagon leasing scheme Rs.24,436 crores. There is also hint of scam in the award of catering contracts by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation in that a majority of catering contracts were awarded to a few or cornered by a few.

All said, the period under report cannot be considered without a close look at the depleting finances of the railways during Banerjee's first tenure. The economic boom was very much there so much so that the NDA Government, of which Mamta Banerjee was a part, launched a national and global “India Shining” publicity campaign. Yet performance of the railways was almost dismal. The whitepaper is also silent on mobilization of resources from capital market through Indian Railways Finance Corporation and how it is or is not a route to debt trap. It is also silent on private participation in the development of high capital intensive railway infrastructure where the gestation period between investment and its return is hovering between five years to ten years given the fact that the private sector's participation in much publicized 1993 'own your wagon scheme' and its revamped version to date making it more attractive has come a cropper or virtually there is no taker.

In addition, Indian Railways Vision 2020 document that Ms Banerjee tabled in Parliament endeavours to upgrade Indian Railways from the existing number 3 to number 2 and then to number one globally within the next ten years. To achieve this, Indian Railways will resort to higher growth trajectory to increase its gross revenue to three per cent of India's GDP from the present 1.2 per cent, network expansion of 25,000 route kilometres by 2020 against 10,000 route kilometres during the last 0ver 63 years since country's Independence, with addition of 30,000 kilometres compared to 18,000 kilometres today, of which more than 6000 kilometres to be quadrupled lines with segregation of passenger and freight services into separate double line corridor. Besides, maximum speed of passenger services will be increased from the present 110-130 kilometre per hour to 160-200 kilometre per hour on the segregated routes, speed of freight trains from 60-70 kilometre per hour to more than 100 kilometre per hour. Entire railway network will be broad gauge except the three heritage hill railways, 33000 route kilometres electrified, with zero tolerance for accidents, reduction in railways carbon foot print and high speed rail travel with bullet trains in four corridors at 250-350 kilometres per hour speed. All these to achieve inclusive development both geographically and socially, strengthening national integration, large scale generation of productive employment, and environmental sustainability.

Mamta Banerjee has set before herself enormous task ahead and stupendous challenges to accomplish the goal post in the vision document. Unless she measures up to the task, the target in the vision document will remain a mere impulsive rhetoric.

Given the fact that railways across the world are incurring losses or subsisting between profit and losses, the vision document appears to be unrealistic and far fetched as it together with the whitepaper is silent on funding such ambitious rail infrastructure within the next ten years. Obviously, the onus will be on the next Central Government and for that matter the Minister of Railways in the successor Government.

One may not agree with the style of function of her immediate predecessor during the last UPA-1 regime but the way he delivered cannot be questioned. This has cast a burden of responsibility on Mamta Banerjee to deliver. Unless she measures up to the task by improving upon the last five year productivity of Indian Railways or even equal that, there will be a question mark on her public credibility. According to the well considered views of the railway officials and experts, the performance of railways during the last five years was the best so far and has set a bench mark of high productivity. It is surmised based on the cumulative factors that had it not been for economic slow down, the railways would have reached a surplus of rupees over one lakh mark before dividend in the terminal fiscal year 2008-09! Mamta has to be on guard and has to deliver, and perform she must!#