Experts called for a statutory regulator to oversee tariffs, safety, competition rules and contract governance in the Indian Railways on Wednesday, warning that fragmented reforms and partial privatisation without safeguards could raise costs, weaken accountability and reduce public confidence.

The discussion took place at Railway Conclave 2.0, organised by the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF) in New Delhi.

Speaking at the event, former CRIS Managing Director Vandana Nanda said the departmental structure of the Railways was inadequate to meet India’s logistics and service ambitions.

“An empowered regulator must approve tariffs and track access charges, monitor service quality, publish comparative scorecards and enforce non-discriminatory access. Transparency is the best defence against

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