New Delhi:
The Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the Rail Budget in Parliament on Wednesday, here are the highlights:
- No fare hike for passengers
- Karmabhoomi special trains for those travelling on work
- Matribhoomi special trains for women
- Bharatpeeth train in the name of Rabindranath Tagore will travel to 16 destinations across India
- Railways to set up Rabindra Museum in Howrah and Geetanjali Museum inBolpur -- both in West Bengal -- to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore's125th birth anniversary
- Railways to develop ten automobile hubs
- Railway exam in regional languages also
- Allocation for construction of new lines increased from Rs 2848 crore to Rs 4411 crore
- Extension of Kolkata Metro on priority
- Survey will be conducted to connect Sealdah and Howrah stations in West Bengal
- Insurance for railway employees
- Revenue from non-core business of Railways to go up from Rs 150 crore to Rs 1,000 crore
- Despite slowdown, Railways to exceed freight loading target by eight million tonnes during 2009-10
- Freight loading target for 2010-11 fixed at 944 million tonnes, 54 million tonnes more than the current year's revised target.
- Gross traffic receipt for 2010-11 pegged at Rs 94,765 crore
- Chittaranjan Locomotive Works capacity to be augmented from 200 to 275 engines a year
- Railways spending seen at Rs 87100 crore in 2011
- Achieve 1000 km electrification in 2011
- 54 new trains this year (Read: List of trains)
- High-speed dedicated passenger corridors to be constructed
- National High Speed Rail Authority to be set up
- Free travel in AC three-tier and sleeper class for cancer patients going for treatment
- Centre for Railway Research to be set up at IIT-Kharagpur
- Total gross earnings at Rs 88281 crore
- Railways to have master plan for North Eastern region
- Funding for all metro projects raised by 55%
- To start rail link to Bangladesh
- No forcible acquisition of land for freight corridor project
- To sign agreement with Japanese company for Western Freight Corridor
- Freight on food grain, kerosene cut by Rs 100 per wagon
- Railways have earned net profit of Rs 1,328 crore
- Integral Coach Factory in Chennai to be modernised and a new unit to be set up there.
- To set up more freight corridors
- Upgradation of 94 stations, modern toilets at Railway stations
- Special women RPF battalions
- Women's wing to be formed in RPF to ensure security of women
- If land is available, Railways willing to set up a Diesel Multiple Unit factory in West Bengal
- Mobile e-ticketing centres at hospitals, universities, courts, IITs, IIMs
- Private operators can run special freight trains
- Dividend to state exchequer Rs 6608 crore in 2011
- Wagon Repair Shop to be set up in Badnera near Amravati in Maharashtra
- Railways to start work on Rae Bareilly coach factory in the next one year
- 101 new suburban trains in Mumbai
- Service Charge on AC class cut to Rs 20 as against Rs 40 earlier
- Service charge on sleeper class reduced to Rs 10
- Railways to set up multi-functional hospitals
- Houses for all Railways employees in the next 10 years
- Not to increase freight tariff
- More jobs for sportsman in railways
- Railways will be the lead partner in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi
- Special trains for Commonwealth Games
- Vision 2020 model to formulate strategy for next 10 years
- Out of 120 new trains, 117 to be launched by March 31
- For cheap drinking water, plan to start 6 bottling plants
- Allocated Rs 1,300 crore for passenger amenities
- Plan to raise Rs 10,000-20,000 crore in the next one year
- To earn revenues, Railways need to set up a business model
- Larger section of population to get connectivity over next 5 years
- Targeting 1000 km new tracks every year
- All 13,000 unmanned level crossings to be manned in the next five years
- Policies to be made easy, investor-friendly
- Special Task Force to clear proposals for investments in 100 days
- Focus on medium term goals, planning and funds
- Commitments fulfilled to the maximum. Out of 120 trains announced in last budget, only three remain to be flagged off because of lack of broad-gauge lines
- Our objective is to unite the country through rail connectivity
- Social responsibility priority in my railway budget
- Time to build partnership with private players