Kolkata: Railway Minister Nitish Kumar today (Jan 19, 2004) ruled out a hike in railway fares this fiscal in the wake of increase in diesel prices, saying that the Railways would not pass on the additional financial burden on to passengers.

"The Indian Railways consume 200 crore litres of diesel per year. If there is an increase of Rupee one per litre, it straightway entails an additional burden of Rs 200 crore. But we will not pass on the additional burden to railway users this financial year," Kumar told reporters in the sidelines of a National Seminar on Construction and Rehabilitation of Railway tracks.

He said the Railways were absorbing the additional financial burden through cost savings and generation of internal revenue.

Stating that steps had also been taken to publish the investigation reports into the railway accident, he said the report on the Rajdhani Express mishap at Rafiganj had already been made public.

Earlier, inaugurating the seminar, he said Railways had introduced a Modern Bridge Management System to improve bridge inspection and ensure their safety. The new system included foolproof inspection of underwater foundations and assessing the residual life of bridges.

"In the Railways, there is one bridge every 700 meters on an average. We must think in terms of each bridge. We must ascertain their strength, residual life and the need for their rehabilitation," the Railway Minister said.