02-27-2007, 12:59 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Railway Minister Lalu Yadav presents his third Railway Budget, and this time too, it seems to be a populist one.
Passenger Fares
All passenger fares cut across the board.
Lean season AC III tier chair car fares cut 8%.
Peak season AC III tier chair car fares cut 4%.
Lean season AC first class fares cut 3-5%.
Lean season AC second class fares cut 4%.
Peak season AC first class fares cut 3-5%.
Peak season AC second class fares to be cut 2%.
Superfast surcharge levied on 2nd class ticket reduced by 20%.
Passenger Amenities
Railway inquiry number 139 across country.
Bogies to be redesigned for disabled.
6,000 automatic ticket-vending machines in 2 yrs.
No. of berths to be increased from 72 to 84 in sleeper coaches.
All customer complaints to be disposed in three months.
Smart rail travel cards to be introduced.
Concessions for UPSC exam travel up to 50%.
Women, senior citizens to get priority lower berths.
E-tickets in petrol pumps, ATMs.
New Facilities
32 new trains to be started.
Leather seats to replace wooden.
Six coaches for unreserved travel.
Eight Garib Raths planned.
Separate coach for vendors, petty traders in passenger trains.
Cushion seats for all unreserved bogies.
Pipavah-Jaipur double decker train proposed.
800 bogies to be added to popular trains.
Train to Kashmir will get priority.
More Mumbai local train capacity.
All TTEs to get palm tops.
Hand-held computers for on-the-spot reservations.
New Projects
Priority to suburban rail projects.
Mumbai EMU revamp outlay Rs 5,000 crore.
High-speed short distance trains.
Increase electrification of lines.
New wagons of 15-25 MT planned.
Rail infrastructure revamp planned.
Huge investment for container operations.
200 model stations by the end of 2007.
New rail lines to aid steel power plants.
Profits
Railway interest surplus at Rs 10,227 crore.
Railway profit of Rs 20,000 crore in FY '06.
Freight
Rs 30,000 crore investment on freight lines.
60 MT extra freight loading in 2007.
Freight on iron ore cut by six per cent.
Freight rates unchanged.
Railway to invest in 3-storey freight containers.
Cement freight traffic up 30 per cent.
17 per cent profit in freight earnings.
Speed up dedicated freight corridor.
Construction of freight corridor stations.
Freight corridor investment Rs 3,000 crore.
Others
NTPC to help in construction of coaches.
No privatisation of Railways.
CCTVs to be installed in sensitive stations.
15 private container licence issued.
Emphasis on high-speed rail corridors.
Wagon production up by 10 per cent.
Operating ratio at 73.7 per cent.
<b>Chair to be set up at IIM-A to study management of Railways.</b> <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
2007-08 will be observed as Railways Cleanliness Year.
Passenger traffic up 14 per cent in Apr-Dec.
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Passenger Fares
All passenger fares cut across the board.
Lean season AC III tier chair car fares cut 8%.
Peak season AC III tier chair car fares cut 4%.
Lean season AC first class fares cut 3-5%.
Lean season AC second class fares cut 4%.
Peak season AC first class fares cut 3-5%.
Peak season AC second class fares to be cut 2%.
Superfast surcharge levied on 2nd class ticket reduced by 20%.
Passenger Amenities
Railway inquiry number 139 across country.
Bogies to be redesigned for disabled.
6,000 automatic ticket-vending machines in 2 yrs.
No. of berths to be increased from 72 to 84 in sleeper coaches.
All customer complaints to be disposed in three months.
Smart rail travel cards to be introduced.
Concessions for UPSC exam travel up to 50%.
Women, senior citizens to get priority lower berths.
E-tickets in petrol pumps, ATMs.
New Facilities
32 new trains to be started.
Leather seats to replace wooden.
Six coaches for unreserved travel.
Eight Garib Raths planned.
Separate coach for vendors, petty traders in passenger trains.
Cushion seats for all unreserved bogies.
Pipavah-Jaipur double decker train proposed.
800 bogies to be added to popular trains.
Train to Kashmir will get priority.
More Mumbai local train capacity.
All TTEs to get palm tops.
Hand-held computers for on-the-spot reservations.
New Projects
Priority to suburban rail projects.
Mumbai EMU revamp outlay Rs 5,000 crore.
High-speed short distance trains.
Increase electrification of lines.
New wagons of 15-25 MT planned.
Rail infrastructure revamp planned.
Huge investment for container operations.
200 model stations by the end of 2007.
New rail lines to aid steel power plants.
Profits
Railway interest surplus at Rs 10,227 crore.
Railway profit of Rs 20,000 crore in FY '06.
Freight
Rs 30,000 crore investment on freight lines.
60 MT extra freight loading in 2007.
Freight on iron ore cut by six per cent.
Freight rates unchanged.
Railway to invest in 3-storey freight containers.
Cement freight traffic up 30 per cent.
17 per cent profit in freight earnings.
Speed up dedicated freight corridor.
Construction of freight corridor stations.
Freight corridor investment Rs 3,000 crore.
Others
NTPC to help in construction of coaches.
No privatisation of Railways.
CCTVs to be installed in sensitive stations.
15 private container licence issued.
Emphasis on high-speed rail corridors.
Wagon production up by 10 per cent.
Operating ratio at 73.7 per cent.
<b>Chair to be set up at IIM-A to study management of Railways.</b> <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
2007-08 will be observed as Railways Cleanliness Year.
Passenger traffic up 14 per cent in Apr-Dec.
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