Rail Budget Highlights

Riyaz Khan (CA CS (Exec) MBA (Fin) Asst. General Manager-SEBI Internal Auditor-British Certifications Inc.)   (1315 Points)

03 July 2009  

PM says Mamata has done a commendable job 
  

No increase in freight rates 

No increase in passenger fares 

Tatkal charges go down to Rs 100, booking time reduced

from 5 days to 2 days 

Unreserved ticketing systems to be expanded from 5,000

to 8,000 terminals 

Janta khana (peoples' food) to be provided in railway

stations 

Develop 50 stations with world class amenities 

12 new non-stop point to point trains introduced 

ATMs on 200 mid and small sized stations 

Aim for 1300 km gauge conversion by 2010 

AC double decker trains for inter-city travel 

Railway Finance Corp to borrow Rs 9000 crore in FY

2010 

Madrasa students included in concession scheme 

To set-up North Eastern development funds 

Ladies special trains to be introduced in Kolkata,

Chennai and Delhi 

Kolkata Metro to be expanded 

Increased Budgetary support by Rs 5000 crores 

AC 'Yuva' trains at Rs 299 and Rs 399 to be introduced 

Press correspondents to get 50% concession 

To launch 57 new trains 

Non-stop AC 'Turant' trains to connect major metros 

Rs 25 ticket for those with monthly salary under Rs 1000

under the 'Izzat scheme' 

Ladies special trains during peak hours 

A new scheme called 'Izzat' to be introduced 

To use Railway Land Bank for industrial development 

To set up a new coach factory in Kanchrapara 

Computerised tickets from post offices 

3000 more unreserved ticketing terminals 

At least one doctor on long distance train 

Railways to set up cold storage cargoes 

Mega logistics hubs in Eastern and Western corridor 

Launch of premium faster parcel services in three routes 

Aim to fulfill SC/ST backlog in jobs 

18,000 wagons to be acquired by FY 2010 

Railway hospitals to be upgraded 

Commando battalion to be raised for security purposes 

Integrated security schemes for 130 vulnerable stations 

Railway recruitment board to be reviewed shortly 

7 nursing colleges to be set up on railway land 

Environmental friendly toilets on trains 

49 stations of religious importance to be upgraded 

Automatic vending machines to be set up at stations 

Women commandos to employed for the security of women passengers 

 High-capacity double decker AC coaches on the cards 
 

Automatic vending vans to be set up to make ticketing easy 

Computerised ticketing from post offices 

SMS update on waitlisted tickets 

Tickets can be bought from Post Offices 

Automatic train information systems on major cities 

Specially designed coaches, escalators and elevators for the physically challenged 

 Depute doctors on long distance trains 
 

Book stores, PCOs to be set up across stations 

Infotainment services on Rajhandi and Shatabdi trains 

To take the Private-Public partnership route to develop stations 

Priority for food and water on trains 

Developing multi-functional complexes at stations 

Priority to passenger amenities 

Rail projects shouldn't be gauged by economic viability but governed by social viability: Mamata 

To set up panel for financing unavailable rail projects 

Improvement of trains amenities 

Railways is trying to keep up with change 

Committed to the cause of the underpreviliged. 

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee begins her speech in Parliament. 

Shares of engineering and wagon manufacturing firms surged by up to 4 per cent on the Bombay Stock

Exchange in early trade today ahead of the Railway Budget 2009-10 

Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) gained 2.15 per cent at Rs 1,105, Hind Rectifiers, the manufacturer of rectifier equipment and semi-conductor devices, rose by 5.27 per cent to Rs 64.95 

Budget is of the people, by the people and for the people: Mamata Banerjee 

More trains for West Bengal 

Budget hotels at railway stations 

More Garib Rath trains to be introduced 

Measures to improve catering and on-board decoration 

Special announcement for security on railways 

Mamata is expected to announce 25 new trains 

Amid expectations of improvement in railway amenities and food served in trains, Railway Minister Mamata

Banerjee would present a 'pro-people' budget in Parliament 

Business leaders and commoners in West Bengal are expecting a series of sops for the state when she presents her budget in parliament 

In her two budgets earlier, Banerjee introduced a new biweekly New Delhi-Kolkata Rajdhani Express, besides starting several express trains connecting various portions of West Bengal 

She might also announce changes in the Tatkal scheme to make it more passenger friendly 

Among the legacies of conflict that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has inherited from her predecessor Lalu Prasad is the much-hyped budget hotels scheme - involving the construction of 100 hotels on vacant railway land in the public-private partnership mode
   Mumbai, which accounts for more than 50 per cent of country's train passengers, expects three of its major projects to be approved in the railway budget 
Mamata's predecessor Lalu Prasad Yadav had promised to introduce GO Mumbai card on Central and Western Railway and on BEST