The Railway Budget of India has been presented today by the honorable rail minister Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav. The railway budget of the year 2008 has focused on increasing the amount of facilities that are provided to the people who avail the services of the Indian Railways on a daily basis. The rail ministry has also tried to not increase the fares.
Major Declarations
Following are the major declarations that have been proposed in the India Railway Budget 2008:
- Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Indian Railways to collaborate on Mother-Child Health Express
- Railway examinations would be taken in Urdu in states with high percentage of Urdu speakers
- The railway tickets would be more easily accessible now
- Railway hospitals to be improved
- Multipurpose railway cards would be provided in Mumbai
- CFL lights to be used
- Display Boards would be provided for the express trains and the long distance mails
- Railway production center to be set up in Kerala
- Railway call centers by the year 2009
- Easier acquisition of land for developmental purposes
- The Rajdhani and Satabdi express trains would be maintained by private companies
- 53 trains to be introduced in the next year
- 30 major stations would have multilevel parking facilities
- Routes of a number of trains to be increased
- 50 major stations would have escalators and lifts
- Special Commonwealth games trains to be run from Delhi to Pune
- The low level platforms would be brought up to the standards of the medium level and high level platforms
- Tickets to have possible arrival times printed on them
- Specific line for purposes of transporting coal
- Private companies would be allowed to make terminals
- The Automatic Signalling System would be expanded
- Fares in second class compartments to go down by 5%
- More tickets on the Internet
- Fares in 3A compartments to go down by 3%
- Terminals to have better amenities and twenty four hour freight handling facilities
- Fares in 1A compartments to go down by 7%
- 40 new contained depots by the coming year
- Fares in 2A compartments to go down by 4%
- Specific freight corridors
- Freights of diesel and petrol to go down by 5%
- New and improved coaches in Satabdi and Rajdhani
- 6% reduction in freight charges in the Northeastern parts of India
- Coal, cement, steel and container freight would go up in the next year
- No lines for tickets by the next two years
- Better information system for travelers
- Rs 4000 crores allocated for installing green toilets in trains
- The stations at Delhi, Mumbai and Patna stations to be helped for attaining global standards
- 10 new trains for Bihar
- Safety measures would be increased to prevent accidents
- Students and women to get concessions
- Number of unmanned level-crossings to go down
- An increased number of trains would function on electricity in the Northern part of India
- Senior citizens to enjoy 30% concessions