Quoting from a reply given in May 2012 in Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State of Railway:
"Railways, in order to improve the operating ration, are striving for augmenting traffic earnings and containing the expenditure. Steps being taken for maximizing the traffic earnings inter-alia include rationalization of fare and freight tariff; effective marketing strategies to capture more and more traffic; creation of additional capacity and optimum utilization of the existing rail infrastructure; improved throughput by steps to increase productivity and efficiency; improvement of passenger interface etc. Railways are making efforts to contain the expenditure through diverse means including strict economy and austerity measures; improved man-power planning; better asset utilization and inventory management; optimizing the fuel consumption etc."