Highlights of Railway Budget 2008-09 (Update 7)

Following are the highlights of the Railway Budget 2008-09, presented in the Lok Sabha Tuesday by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad:

1. Passenger fares reduced across the board
2. Second class fares for journeys over 50 km to cost 5 percent less
3. Sleeper fares down by 5 percent
4. AC III-tier fares cut by 2 percent
5. AC II-tier fares reduced 4 percent
6. AC first class fares down 7 percent
7. Freight rates slashed by 14 percent across the board
8. Freight charges for petrol and diesel cut by 5 percent
9. Free season tickets to girl students till graduation
10. 50 percent concession for AIDS patients, senior women citizens and Ashok Chakra awardees
11. Arrival time to be printed on tickets
12. Wait-listed e-tickets to be introduced
13. Tickets to be confirmed through mobile phones
14. 20,000 km of high-density network planned
15. 30 major stations to have multi-level platforms
16. All level crossings to be manned
17. Staff benefit fund to be increased by 10 times this fiscal
18. Only stainless steel coaches to be made from now on
19. Many Rajdhani trains extended to cover more destinations
20. Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains to have new coaches by 2011
21. Hospital trains to be introduced with healthcare and operating facilities
22. 16,548 km of railway track to be replaced
23. Railways to build cargo terminals in 50 major locations
24. Private companies can have their own cargo terminals on railway land
25. Wagon leasing policy introduced to facilitate business



26. Additional Rs.200 billion earned on freight services
27. 790 tonnes payload or weight per freight train target achieved
28. Payload to go up 78 percent by increasing wagons to 58 from 40
29. 15,000 freight wagons to be added
30. 470 engines to be added in 2008-09
31. 15,000 automated ticket machines by 2009
32. Smartcard technology for ticketing system
33. Rs.40 billion to be spent on green toilets
34. More trains in peak season
35. Rs.250 billion in profits in 2007-08
36. New earnings of 21 percent in 2007-08
37. Rs.300 billion to be spent on network expansion
38. Rs.492.50 billion invested in new projects
39. Cash surplus in 2007-08 at Rs.250 billion
40. Operating ratio a favourable 76 percent

Indo-Asian News Service