Patna; If the experiment of running low-cost fully air-conditioned train 'Garib Rath' is successful, similar train services will be launched from all the state capitals, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said yesterday (Dec 11,2006).

After flagging off Rajendra Nagar-Hazrat Nizamuddin 'Garib Rath' at Rajendra Nagar terminal here, the second in the series of Garib Rath after Saharsa-Amritsar, Prasad said similar trains from Delhi to Mumbai and Delhi to Chennai would be started soon.

Listing his achievements, he said "Many people ask me about the jadu-tona (magic formula) of transforming railway from a loss-making organisation to a profit-earning body. I tell them more astonishing things are in store for future".

Prasad said his target was to increase the railway profit from Rs 13.5 crore to Rs 20 crore in the next fiscal.

"While the trains of all other countries are costly and running in losses, Indian Railway is cheap and also in profit", he said.

Laying stress on passenger security, Prasad said plans were afoot to lay a third line in many sections to reduce load from the tracks.

He talked about plans to lay the third line between Ludhiana-Howrah, Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai, Chennai-Howrah and Chennai-Guwahati.