Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav presented his fifth consecutive Railway Budget and announced yet another surplus Balance Sheet for Year 2007-08. Lalu announced additional Rs 2000 cr earnings on freight services. The Railway fund balance was up at Rs 20,480 cr. Reduced fares increased volumes and profits. Following are the highlights:
Ø Railway profit in 2007-08 at Rs 25,000 crore.
Ø AC first class fare cut by 7%
Ø AC 2 tier fare down by 4%
Ø AC 3 tier fare cut by 3%
Ø 5% cut in petrol, diesel freight
Ø Special focus to be given on railway projects in the North Eastern Region
Ø Route of 16 trains to be extended
Ø 6 lakh bulbs to be replaced by cfl lamps by railways to save energy
Ø 2500 old signals to be replaced by railways. Special trains to Anandpur Sahib,
Patna Sahib and Nanded 155 new lines to be completed.
Ø 50% concession for AIDS patient
Ø Foot overbridges at all high-level platforms.
Ø Northern railway main hospital in Delhi will be fully airconditioned. Divisional
railway hospitals in Jaipur and Hubli will be upgraded.
Ø A new rail coach unit to be set up in Kerala
Ø A 1,000 megawatt captive power plant to be set up in Nabinagar in Bihar
Ø Ten new Garib Raths and 53 new trains to be introduced.
Ø Railway tickets to show 'expected time of arrival'
Ø Railway profit in 2007-08 at Rs 25,000 crore.
Ø Thirty per cent discount to senior citizens for rail travel and 50 per cent discount
for women in all classes
Ø Mother Child Health Express to be started.
Ø Clearance given for western freight corridor from Delhi to JNPT, Nhava Sheva,
adjoining Mumbai.
Ø Close circuit TV and bomb detecting equipment to be installed at major stations.
Ø Doubling of lines to be given priority.
Ø Railways planning smart card-based ticketing system.
Ø CCTvs at all important stations
Ø Modular toilets to be introduced in trains.
Ø 'Go Mumbai' card to be sold at bus depots.
Ø Freight loading estimated to increase from 650 mt to 1100 mt by 2011
Ø New policy for wagon leasing.
Ø New line for Ennore Power Station.
Ø By 2010, all coaches will be made of steel.
Ø Professional agencies being involved on a pilot basis to ensure cleanliness in
running trains.
Ø Work on automatic signalling to start in new sections.
Ø Railways to bring in led displays in stations on train arrivals/ departures.
Ø Stainless steel coaches for mail and express trains.
Ø Cleanliness drive on rajdhani and shatabdi trains.
Ø Railways show a surplus of rs 68,778 cr in last four years.
Ø Railways to provide escalators at 50 per cent of the stations in the country.
Ø Railway Minister Lalu Yadav announced that Indian Railways will introduce
15,000 ticketing counters in the next 2 years. The Railways plans to offer tickets
through mobile phones.
Ø By 2009 call centre based inquiry services to be unveiled.
Ø Issuance of wait-listed e-tickets will also allowed
Ø Operating ratio of the Railways was at 76%.
Ø Rs 49,250 crore invested into new railway projects.
Ø Railway plan size increased from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore in the last
four years.
Ø Productivity of Railway assets has been constantly increasing.
Ø Railways attained 790 tonne payload target in the year 2007-08.
Ø E-ticket booking is likely to rise to 300,000 from 100,000 in a year.
Ø Freight traffic target of 785 million tonnes crossed to touch 790 million tones
Ø Railway plan size increased from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore in the last
four years.
Ø 560 railway station platforms to be lengthened to take long trains.
Ø Middle-level and low-level platforms to be upgraded to high-level platforms in
several stations to help commuters.
Ø More facilities for women and old passengers.
