Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has cut service charge on passenger fare for sleeper and AC class and did not propose any hike in freight rates in the Railway Budget 2010-11. She announced 101 new suburban trains for Mumbai and many new schemes...
Presenting the Railway Budget for 2010-11 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said there will be no hike in passenger fares or freight tariff.
She also said that service charge on sleeper class will be cut to Rs 10 and service charge on air-conditioned class cut to Rs 20 from Rs 40.
Mamata's populist rail budget also has many social welfare plans and job-generation schemes too.
Banerjee said that it is time for private partnership in Indian Railways, but said that the railways will not be privatised. She said that clearance to private investment will be provided in 100 days to speed up projects.
Banerjee appealed to business houses to join hands for building partnership with Railways. Presenting the Railway Budget she said a special task force will be set up for early clearance of projects.
- Mumbai will get 101 new suburban trains.
- To introduce several schemes for railway employees.
- Railways to develop ten automobile hubs.
- No forcible acquisition of land for freight corridor project, said Mamata.
- One member of each family of land losers to be given employment in the freight corridor as also in the new projects, she added.
- High-speed dedicated passenger corridors to be constructed; National High Speed Rail Authority to be set up.
- If land is available, Railways willing to set up a Diesel Multiple Unit factory in West Bengal, said Banerjee.
- Integral Coach Factory in Chennai to be modernised and a new unit to be set up there.
- Wagon Repair Shop to be set up in Badnera near Amravati in Maharashtra.
- Work on Rae Bareli Coach Factory in Uttar Pradesh to start within a year, said the railway minister.
- To extend routes of 21 trains Freight loading target for 2010-11 fixed at 944 million tonnes, 54 million tonnes more than the current year's revised target.
- Despite slowdown, Railways to exceed freight loading target by eight million tonnes during 2009-10.
- Revenue from non-core business of Railways to go up from Rs 150 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.
- State-of- the-art loco training centers to be set up.
- 10 more Duranto trains to be launched.
- Railways to set up sports academies.
- Railways to run a special train during CWG 2010.
- Will induct ex-service men into railway security.
- Rail stocks: Kalindi Rail Nirman is quoting at Rs 187.65, down 2.85%.
- 381 new diagnostic centers across the country.
- Will modernise 93 railway stations.
- Railways will give concessions for sportspersons.
- Railways to set up sports academies.
- Railways to run a special train during Commonwealth Games. Railways will be the lead partner in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
- Ex-servicemen to be inducted in RPF.
- Railway Protection Force to be strengthened through amendments in RPF Act; women's wing to be formed in RPF to ensure security of women.
- All 13,000 unmanned level crossings to be manned in the next five years, says the railway minister.
- Railways to set up mobile e-ticketing centres at hospitals, universities, courts, IITs, IIMs, district headquarters and village panchayats.
- Chittaranjan Locomotive Works capacity to be augmented from 200 to 275 engines a year.
- Centre for Railway Research to be set up at IIT-Kharagpur.
- Railways to enhance contribution to central staff benefit fund.
- Railways will provide houses to all its employees in the next 10 years in collaboration with the Urban Development Ministry.
- Railways to set up Rabindra Museum in Howrah and Geetanjali Museum in Bolpur -- both in West Bengal -- to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore's 125th birth anniversary.
- She said that 17 new trains will be flagged off within 7 months.
- She also announced some sops for women and minority communities.
- She proposed 1,000 km of new rail lines.
- While not privatising, Indian Railways have to develop business models for improving earnings, said Banerjee.
- Railways 2020 vision document will contain short, medium- and long-term goals, she added.
- She claimed that her commitments had been fulfilled to the maximum. Out of 120 trains announced in last railway budget, only three remain to be flagged off because of lack of broad-gauge lines, she said.
- Railways to start six water bottling plants in places like Ambala, Thiruvananthapuram, Farakka, Amethi and Nashik to provide clean and cheap drinking water to passengers, she announced.
- Security for women passengers to be increased, she assured.
- The railway minister said that double-decker trains will be introduced.
- She also emphasized that Railways must develop new business models.
- RFID technology to be used for freight transport, she said.
- Ticket counters at district headquarters and village panchayats will be set up.
- She said Rs 1300 crore for passenger amenities will be allotted.
- She also said that construction of multi-level parking through PPP model will be taken up.
- Despite slowdown, Railways to exceed freight loading target by eight million tonnes during 2009-10, said Mamata.
- Freight loading target for 2010-11 fixed at 944 million tonnes, 54 million tonnes more than the current year's revised target.
- Special train between India and Bangladesh to be started to commemorate 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
- Railways to have master plan for North Eastern region.
- Railway line to be extended from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands to get railway line from Port Blair to Diglipur.
- Sikkim capital Gangtok to be connected by rail from Rangpo.
- 2011 being 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, special train to be run from West Bengal to Bangladesh.
- Impact of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations placed at Rs.55,000 crore.
- FY11 Gross Traffic Receipts seen at Rs 94,700 crore.
- FY11 working spend seen at Rs 87,100 crore.
- To beat FY10 freight target by 8 million tonnes.
- To start door-to-door service for freight movement
- To launch tourist trains on 16 routes
- To introduce 54 new trains in FY11
- Will launch double-decker trains on pilot basis
- To set up 50 creches, 8,000 hostels for women railway staff.
- To acquire 80,000 new wagons.
- Allocation for implementing 1,000 km news lines in a year almost doubles to Rs 4,411 crore. Passenger amenities Rs 1,200 cr
- Appropriation for pension fund at Rs 14,500 cr
- Budget estimates for 2010-11 : Special efforts for deficit to be cleared
- Expenditure of 783 cr after meeing the dividend liability
- Budget estimates: Target for freight set at 944 million tonnes (up 54 million metric tonnes)
- Non core business earning seen at Rs 1,000 cr
- To launch 10 more duranto trains.
- Cuts freight on foodgrains, kerosene by Rs 100 / wagon.
- Training institution for railways for the south and south east Asian countries.
- Dedicated passenger corridor (Golden Rail corridor) project to be set up.
- Propose to start execution of Sonpur Dankuni section this year through PPP mode.
- Plan to create railway eco park.
- Plans propose to introduce a GPS based driver guidance service.
- 22.6 million free CFL lights already distributed.
- Premium tatkal service for parcel and freight movement.
- Autmobile and ancillary hubs in 10 different locations in the PPP mode.
- 5 wagon industry in JV-PPP mode, in Secundrabad, Andhra Pradesh, Guwahati, Orissa and Haldia Wagon repair shop in Mumbai.
- Mobile e-ticketing centers in IITs.
- Railways to acquire 80,000 new wagons.
- Design, development and testing center in Bangalore.
- To introduce 54 new trains in FY 2011.
- To run 101 new suburban trains in Mumbai.
- Railway exams can be taken in regional languages, she said. English, Hindi, Urdu will be used for Railway entrance exams.
- Plan to raise Rs 10,000-20,000 crore by the next fiscal.
- Will withdraw examination fees for backward classes and women.
- 117 of 120 new trains for current fiscal to be flagged off.
- To come out with a 10-year plan called 'Vision 2020', Mamata said.
- Larger section of population to be connected by rail, she said.
- She also said that railways are looking at innovative ways for financing projects.
- Freight loading target for 2010-11 fixed at 944 million tonnes, 54 million tonnes more than the current year's revised target.
- Despite slowdown, Railways to exceed freight loading target by eight million tonnes during 2009-10.
- Revenue from non-core business of Railways to go up from Rs 150 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.
- Aims at electrification of 1,000 km route in FY11.
- Special train named ' Bharat Teerth' to connect Himachal to Kanya Kumari. (all over the country).
- Janmabhoomi train: connected areas in western sectors, linking Jodhpur, Lalgarh, etc. To run every week.
- Karmabhoomi: sleeper trains introduced for the unorganised sector.
- Introduction of ladies special trains in the name of Matribhumi.
- Work under Mumbai suburban area under MUTP phase 1 to be completed this year, and under phase 2 to be completed by March 2014.
- Kolkata Metro to be extended inside the city, 5 stations to be renamed.
- Funding for Metro Rail projects up 5%.
- FY11 operating ratio pegged at 93.2%.
- Impact of 6th Pay Commission at Rs 55,000 crore.
