Railway Budget : No Hike in Fares, No New Trains

India’s Railway Budget for 2015-16 holds no surprises as Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu sparing the passengers of a fare hike. He however announced a record investment plan of over Rs. 1 lakh crore for the sector.

Highlights of Railway budget 2015-16

• ·        No increase in passenger fares
• ·        No new trains announced
• ·        Tickets can be booked 120 days in advance instead of 60 days to tackle tout menace
• ·        Outlay for passenger amenities increased by 67%
• ·        Plan expenditure to go up to a record Rs. 1.1 lakh crore in 2015-16 from an estimated Rs. 61,500 crore in 2014-15.
• ·        Central government to outlay likely to at 41 per cent (Rs.45,100 crore) in 2015-16
• ·        Will introduce train sets saving 20% of journey time, similar to bullet trains in design, and that can run on existing tracks
• ·        The speed passenger trains across nine corridors will be increased to 160-200 km from 110 km
• ·        SMS alert to be introduced for train timings
• ·        To introduce air-conditioned coaches for suburban trains
• ·        Wi-fi to be available at 400 railway stations
• ·        To revamp station redevelopment policy completely
• ·        To have bidding system for redevelopment of stations
• ·        To develop 10 satellite railway stations this year
• ·        800 km of gauge conversion will be commissioned
• ·        E-catering introduced in 108 trains, can order on IRCTC website
• ·        To expand water vending machines on more stations
• ·        On-board entertainment facility could be extended on Shatabdi trains
• ·        Mobile charging stations will be introduced in general class coaches
• ·        More general class coaches will be added to select trains for benefit of the common man
• ·        Railways plans to spend over Rs. 8 lakh crore over five years
• ·        Pension funds, multi-lateral banks have evinced interest in Railways
• ·        Proposed the best operating ratio in nine years, of 88.5 per cent for 2015-16
• ·        Railways to go through transformation in five years; to increase track capacity by 10 per cent to 1.38 lakh km
• ·        Feasibility report of high speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad expected by mid-2015
• ·        Wagon-making scheme to be reviewed to make it easier for private investment
• ·        To improve cleanliness & design of bed linen
• ·        All India 24x7 grievances helpline 138 to start soon
• ·        7,000 more toilets to be replaced by Bio-Toilets, New toilets at 650 stations, more  vaccum toilets
• ·        Passenger travelling unreserved can procure a ticket within 5 minutes
• ·        Mobile application to address complaints of people is also being developed
• ·        Introduction of integrated ticketing will be done
• ·        Hand-held devices for ticket checkers for moving towards paperless ticketing
• ·        Centrally managed railway display network in over 2000 stations in next 2 years
• ·        Railways will play a big role in socio-economic development of the country
• ·        Railways carry a big burden of expectations
• ·        Investments in railways will have multiplier effect
• ·        Railways facilities have not improved significantly over last few years
• ·        The cycle of under-investment should end
• ·        Railways has to regain in share in freight traffic
• ·        Railways aims to deliver a sustainable improvement in customer experience and make rail a safer means of travel
• ·        Objective is to make Railways self-sustainable
• ·        Rail-cum-road ticket to be extended to many stations
• ·        We are committed to provide rail connectivity to North Eastern states
• ·        Transport Logistic Corporation of India to be set up to aid expanding freight handling capacity and provide end-to-end logistic solutions
• ·        PPP model will help to augment resources and generate more employment
• ·        6608 kms of track to be electrified
• ·        Projects worth Rs. 96,182 crore to expand capacity of 9,420 km rail lines
• ·        CCTVs to be introduced in select trains and suburban trains for women safety
• ·        Train Protection Warning System, Train Collision Avoidance System
• ·        Projects for rail connectivity to many ports and mines
• ·        To monetize assets rather than sell them
• ·        To set up full-fledged Railway University in FY16
• ·        Rs.2000 crore for Coastal Connectivity Program; Rs.2500 crore through BOT/Annuity route
• ·        Drawing up comprehensive policy to tap latent advertising potential
• ·        Online application for all recruitment process
• ·        To impart soft skills to our staff we intend to impart regular training
• ·        917 safety work projects to eliminate over 3,000 unmanned crossings in all states
• ·        PPP cell to be revamped to make it result oriented
• ·        Railways can't function as business as usual mode
• ·        To set up infra fund, JV with IRFC for long-term funding