RAILWAY BUDGET COMPARISON

GROUP - 2

Initiatives taken for improvement in Freight Business

Target for freight loading kept at 785 Million Tonnes (MT) in 2007-08.

Planning for Triple-stack container trains on diesel route and double-stack container trains on electrified route

22.9 tonnes and 25 tonnes axle-load freight trains to run on more routes.

Production of wagons of higher axle-load and payload to commence.

Initiatives in passenger business

800 more coaches to be attached in popular trains.

Plan to provide cushioned seats in unreserved second class coaches

Concession of 50% in second class for candidates appearing for main written examination conducted by SSC and UPSC

Passenger Amenities at Stations

300 more stations to be developed as modern stations.

Year 2007 declared ‘Cleanliness Year’ - Special campaign to ensure cleanliness in station complexes, passenger trains, railway lines, waiting rooms etc

11th five-year plan Focus would be on doubling transport capacity and

reducing unit cost of transportation by increasing volumes.

Short-term strategy- investing in low cost high return projects for eliminating bottlenecks and ensuring intensive asset utilization .

Mid and long-term strategy – twin pronged approach of network expansion and modernization and technical upgradation .

Public-private partnerships projects will play an important role.

Facilitating travel by passengers

Expansion of reserved ticketing facilities

PRS counters to be opened at premises of Post-offices and Defence organizations to be operated by them

-e-ticketing services through State Government’s e-services, Petrol pumps, Bank’s ATMs etc

Coupon system for ticket distribution to be extended to Kolkata and Chennai.

Railway Security

Number of trained dogs will be increased in the existing dog squads.

Door frame and hand held metal detectors to detect explosives being installed in many sensitive divisions and  CCTV, smart video cameras etc for sensitive stations.

8,000 vacancies will be filled in the RPF on all India basis

Special Recruitment Drives

95% of the vacancies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been filled through special drives and 75% of backlog in the promotional quota has been cleared.

Action is being taken to fulfill the stipulated 27% quota of the OBC candidates

Passenger Services:

8 new Garib Raths to be introduced.

New Trains : 32 pairs.

Extension of Trains : 23 pairs.

Increase in Frequency : 14 pairs

Annual Plan 2007-08

The Annual Plan of Rs 31,000 cr is the largest ever Annual Plan so far, which includes.

Support of Rs 7,611 cr from General Revenues.

Internal Generation of Rs 17,323 cr.

Extra Budgetary Resources of Rs 5,740 cr.

on project related Plan heads : New Lines Rs 1,610 cr, Gauge conversion Rs 2,404 cr, Electrification Rs 300 cr, Metropolitan Transport Projects Rs 722 cr.

Outlay on Safety related Plan heads : Track renewal Rs 3,360 cr, Bridges Rs 597 cr, Signal & Telecommunication works Rs 1,597 cr, Road over/under bridges Rs 551 cr and manning of unmanned level crossings Rs 500 cr.

Important Targets : New Lines 500 kms, Gauge Conversion 1800 kms, Doubling 700 kms.

Rs 2,725 cr required for four National Projects

Freight Business No across the board increase in freight rates.

Highest class 220 reduced to 210.

Freight rates of diesel and petrol to come down by about 5 per cent.

Minerals and Ores (iron-ore, lime-stone and dolomite) - reduction in classification from class 170 to 160.

Wagon load class rates for commodities up to class LR1: reduced from class150 to class120

Passenger Business Reduction in passenger fares.

Fares of second class in non-suburban ordinary passenger and non-superfast mail/express trains reduced by one rupee per passenger

AC First Class   :   3% reduction in busy season , 6% in lean season

AC-2Tier Class  :   2% reduction in busy season, 4% in lean season

Reduction in fares for all classes of high capacity new design reserved coaches :

AC3-Tier & AC CC   :   4% reduction in busy season and 8% in lean season.

Sleeper Class   :   4% reduction in all seasons

Rail Budget 08-09 Fare Reduction

Sleeper fare would be reduced by 5%,

5% deduction in 2nd class fares beyond 50 km, coming to about reduction of Rs. 50

AC-I fares would be step down by 7%

AC-II fares reduced by 4%

AC-III fares brought down by 3%

Special Discounts and Concessions

Discounts on development of bulk and non-bulk goods terminals

Boys studying in class 12 to get special confreightcessions to visit their home towns via trains

50 per cent concessions for women senior citizens

For AIDS patients 50% concession in railway fare

Staff benefit fund to be increased 10 times in 2009

Free Rajdhnai, Shatabdi journey for Ashok Chakra winners

Free season tickets would be made available for girl student till graduation

Decorated soldiers would get special concessions

Profits Railways made during Previous Years

Rs. 68,778 crore cash surplus in four years

Railways earned profit because of UPA govt policies

Surplus Rs 20 bn earned on freight services

Attained 790 tonnes pay-load target

Railways registered Profit of Rs 25,000 last year

Operating ratio of railways at 76.3 per cent in the year 2006-07

10 New Garib Raths

53 New Trains

Infrastructural Reforms, Safety and Technology

Introduction of discharge-free green toilets in all 36,000 coaches in XI Plan Period at a price of around Rs 4,000 cr.

Call centers would be introduced for inquiries which would be reachable at local tariff

Long-distance trains would have a system to display next station

Introduction of multi level parking on few major stations

Public address systems to be introduced in all trains

Anti-collision system to be improved to prevent rail accidents

Mother Child Health Express would be started

New Railway Developments

Public Private Partnership plans would be introduced for pulling investment of Rs 1,00,000 cr

5% step down in petrol and diesel freight

Rs 17.3 bn to be spent on new lines regarding Kurla to Howrah train bi-weekly Proposal

Plans to spend Rs 6.5 bn on metro transport projects

155 km new lines would be endeavored to be completed in FY08

Rs. 2000 crores to be earned from 3000 bogies

Jansadharan seva to be extended to every zone

Freight services raises additional 20,000 cr

Rs.500 crores would be spent for the improvement of railway stations

8.2 per cent growth in freight loading till December 2007

Shelter would be offered at Rs 500 crores in the next two years

Rail Plan raised from Rs 11,000 cr to 33,000 cr

New projects will have Rs 49,250 crores investment

For Internal Railways Operating System

5% posts for constables and 10 % of sub-inspectors in the above vacancies would be booked for women

973 additional posts have been created

Per-capita contribution to Staff Benefit Fund would be by ten times from Rs 35 to Rs 350 for 2008-09

Employees in Indian Railways at 1.4 mn in the year 2007-08.

Budget 2009-10 SMS updates to indicate berth and confirmation

status

E-ticketing simplified

49 stations of religious importance to be upgraded

Tatkal scheme to be reduced from 5 days to 2 days

No increase in passenger fares across classes

Total working expenditure estimated at Rs 81,685cr

New scheme called 'Ijjat' for low income monthly travel

Press correspondents to get 50% concession

50 stations to be class-1 stations with world class facilities

Doctors on long-distance trains

Focus on cleaner trains

Passengers can now buy computerised tickets from over 5000 post-offices

ATMs on 200 mid and small sized stations

Railways to lease out land for commercial purposes

Passenger Amenities Rs 25 per month ticket without surcharge for

unorganized sector employees under ‘Izzat’ scheme for people with salary upto 1500

Unreserved ticketing terminals to be expanded from 5000 to 8000

Computerised issuance of tickets from 5000 post offices

To launch ‘janata khana’ with regional cuisines

Development Work Target mechanised maintenance of 3,500km in FY10

50 stations to be upgraded to world class standards (list at the end)

49 stations to be developed al pilgrim centres

Railway medical colleges to be developed along with rail hospitals on public-private partnership.

To set up 1000 MW power plant

309 out of 375 stations will be developed with modern facilities

Yuva train: AC seat @ Rs 299 upto 1500 kms and Rs 399 for upto 2500 kms

12 duronto trains

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