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Interim Rail Budget Highlights

Hon'ble Railway Minister Sri. Lalu Prasad Yadav presented Interim Railway Budget 2009-2010

• Rail accidents have fallen from 325 to 194 in past 5 yrs.
• Implementation of 6th Pay Commission to hike expense by Rs 13,500 cr.
• 6th Pay commission to benefit 1.4 million rail employees.
• Railways raised $100 million loan at 4% in Nov 2008.
• Freight rates left unchanged.
• Fares of Ac/Mail express cut by 2%.
• Kolkata metro expansion plans cleared.
• To start 43 new trains in next financial year.
• Railway cash surplus at Rs. 90000 crores in last 5 years.
• 14 trains to be extended, frequency will also be increased.
• fares of ordinary passenger trains reduced by rupee 1 for fares costing upto rupees 50 for journey above 10 kilometers.
• "139 Enquiry Service" is available for 24 hours a day in 11 languages.
• Agartala, the capital of Tripura, has been connected by railways in the current year, and it is the first rail connection to another north eastern state since independence.
• The Budget Estimates for goods earnings and passenger earnings have been kept at Rs. 59,059 cr and 25,000 cr, respectively in 2009-10.
• The Budget Estimates for sundry other earnings and other coaching earnings have been kept at Rs. 6,000 cr and Rs. 3,000 cr respectively in 2009-10.
• The Gross Traffic Receipts have been projected at Rs . 93,159 cr, exceeding the Revised Estimates for the current year by Rs 10,766 cr.
• The Ordinary Working Expenses have been kept at Rs. 62,900 cr in 2009-10.
• The work of construction of Rail Wheel Factory at Chhapra is going on.
• Efforts are being made to start work on Diesel and Electric Locomotive Factories at Marhoura and Madhepura, in this month.
• With a view to facilitate smooth flow of rail traffic, priority is to be given on the construction of ROB/RUBs on fifty-fifty cost sharing basis.
• Electrification of 1000 Km of rail lines completed in 2008-09.
• 1100 km of new rail lines installed in last five years.
• Wagon production to be increased from 6600 to 15000 per year.
• Four call centres for railway enquiry set up.
• Recorded profits without hurting people.
• Since 2001 revenues have risen by 39 paise a tonne/km.
• Since 2001 costs have fallen by 7 paise a tonne/km .
• Ticket booking beyond Internet, petrol pumps.
• Steep fall in container traffic.
• More capacity for passenger trains upto 22 per cent.
• To hike efficiency of passenger and goods wagons.
• 78 per cent more capacity in goods trains.
• Steps to have railway connectivity to Kashmir initiated
• The makeover of Railways has been better than that of private sector companies.
• Revenues up 12% till December, more than expected.
• Wagon output to be increased from 6000 to 15,000 a year.
• Expects 19,320 cr. cash revenue in FY09.
• New Delhi-Ahmedabad Rajdhani becomes daily from 6 days a week
• Bhubaneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani becomes four days a week
• Mumbai-Bikaner superfast bi-weekly
• Nizamuddin-Bangalore Rajdhani tri-weekly
• 5 lakh people use rail Internet facility
• Rs 10,500 cr kept aside to meet pension requirements
• 25 survey planned for 8 doubling projects
• Feasibility studies are on for running bullet trains between Ahmedabad-Pune, Delhi-Amritsar, Chennai-Bangalore, Hyderbada-Vijaywada- Chennai, Delhi-Patna, Kolkata-Haldia and Ernakulam-Howrah.
• Railways expected to show a surplus of Rs 18,847 crore in the next fiscal.
• FY09 Operating ratio seen at 88%; FY10 Operating ratio seen at 89%
• Railways Freight traffic for 2008-09 at 794 metric tonnes upto 9%.
• Railways freight rates remain unchanged
• Railways to increase coach volumes in 16 trains
• Work on Delhi-Mumbai freight corridor started.
• Rs.70000 crore surplus to be used to improve railways.
• To spend Rs.37900 crs. in the next financial year.
• Average freight growth rate upto 8% in 5 years.
• Feasibility study of 6 bullet trains underway.
• To study feasibility of bullet train at Delhi-Patna route.
• Work on Kolkata -Ludhiana freight route started.
• Huge improvement in railway security
• To invest 2.30 lakh crore in 11th 5 year plan
• To introduce new wagons with higher capacity
• Freight earnings up 19% til last year
• Freight revenues seen at Rs.59060 crore in next financial year.
• Rail passenger growth is up by 15 %
• Decline in number of railway accidents in the past 5 years
• Average freight growth upto 8 % in 5 years
• Railways have made huge turnaround.
• Invested Rs.33773 crores in 2008-09
• To use Rs. 70000 crores for rail productivity

Lalu likely to announce more sops in pre-poll Railway Budget
Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is going to announce more sops for train passengers in his sixth railway budget in parliament. For the last five years, he managed to keep track of all passenger fares. Today, while addressing the media proceeded by presenting the interim railway budget 2009-10, Lalu had said, “I have done my bit in the past five budgets to benefit the people. It doesn’t happen in one day. It is a continuous process.”

The railway minister thanked his UPA government colleagues and PM Manmohan Singh for conveying their cooperation in conducting policies for the public welfare. About the interim railway budget content that will be showed at around 12 pm in parliament, Lalu commented, “The only thing I can say right now is that UPA government will come to power again”.

As per the PTI report and some source in the ministry, Lalu has been keen to share the benefits of devaluation in oil prices with passengers. Despite the global devastation, railways have carried 74.55 million tonnes (MT) of freight during January 2009, which is 2.9 per cent more as compared to last year.

During the UPA regime, railways have documented an annual growth of 14 % in entire traffic earnings. In the last five years, apart from featuring the ministry achievements, the interim railway budget is comprised with different proposals for introduction of more trains including all Garib Rath. During the session 2006-07, Lalu had introduced Garib rath, which lends AC comfort to the passengers belonging to poor sections of society. Now, around 20 garib raths are there and some more are likely to be introduced in this interim railway budget 2009-10.

It is possible that the freight rate of foodgrains, flours, pulses and fertilisers stay unchanged this time. According to a senior official of ministry, the implementation of sixth pay commission for the railway employees is the reason for the higher operating ratio in the current year than the last financial year.

Railway department is planning to change the whole catering system as lot of complaints are there against food served in trains. This time, more emphasis will be laid on the hygiene and quality of food in kitchen cell system, according to senior IRCTC official.