The Railway Budget

                   Indian Railways @ a glance

Indian Railways has 114,500 kilometres of total track over a route of 65,000 kilometres and 7,500 stations. It has the world's fourth largest railway network after those of the United States, Russia and China. It carries over 30 million passengers and 2.8 million tons of freight daily.

It is the world's second largest commercial or utility employer, by number of employees. It is India’s biggest central ministry in terms of size, employing nearly 1.4 million people. About 40% of the government staff belong to the Indian Railways. The number of people employed by the railways is even larger than the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

For rolling stock, it owns over 240,000 (freight) wagons, 60,000 coaches and 9,000 locomotives.

The railways earn Rs 30,000 crore from passenger fares and a hike in this of even 10% could mean the ministry would receive an additional Rs 3,000 crore in a year.

The fastest trains of Indian Railways, Rajdhani Express and Shatabadi Express face competition from low-cost airlines since they run at a maximum speed of only 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph).At least six corridors are under consideration for the introduction of high speed trains to India with expert assistance from France and Japan.

A panel headed by former nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar had recommended investments to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore to ensure the Railways have the most modern safety features. And the requirement of the safety features is not in doubt any more.

Railway officials say that the majority of the losses on passenger fares, comes from the unreserved class in trains and about 8,000 crore came from the reserved classes in which sleeper classes account for Rs 6,000 crore.  And those costs can only rise with each year as operational and fuel costs rise 

Railways on Tuesday withdrew 4% exemption on fertiliser and foodgrain loading rates besides making a 10-15 percent upward revision of other commodities ahead of Rail Budget.The move is expected to increase prices of an array of goods, ranging from coal to fertilizers.

For the Railways, which is expected to garner about Rs 70,000 crore from freight earnings in the current fiscal, this hike would mean a potential to increase annual earnings by up to Rs 18,000 crore.

In its Vision 2020 document, Indian Railways has estimated an investment of Rs 14,00,000 crore to provide customer focused and environment friendly sustainable integrated transport solutions. Various projects like adding new lines, dedicated freight corridor, modernization of stations, implementation of modern signaling systems, electrification of routes, use of efficient technologies etc. are expected to be implemented.

Ind

Railway Budget 2012-13

Railway Minister- Shri Dinesh Trivedi

·         An increase in passenger fares across all classes, more than 100 new trains, enhanced frequency or routes for many others, and plans to hire more than one lakh employees were some of the key Rail Budget proposals made on Wednesday.

·         Presenting the annual Rail Budget for the financial year 2012-13 in Parliament on Wednesday, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi made following key proposals:

-Passenger fares to be hiked by 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class travel; 3 paise per km for mail/ express second class; 5 paise per km for sleeper class; 10 paise per km for AC chair car/AC 3-tier and First Class; 15 paise per km for AC 2-tier and 30 paise per km for AC 1-tier.

- Minimum fare and platform tickets to cost Rs 5.

- 75 new Express trains to be introduced, along with 21 new passenger services, nine DEMU      services and 8 MEMU services trains.

- Route of 39 trains to be extended and frequency of 23 trains to be increased.

- Railways to hire more than one lakh employees in 2012-13; 80,000 persons hired last year.

- Indian Railways Stations Development Corp to be set up to re-develop stations and maintain them like airports.

- To set up an independent Railway Safety Authority as a statutory body.

- The open discharge toilets on trains to be replaced with green (bio) toilets.

- All unmanned level crossings to be abolished in next five years; To target zero deaths due to rail accidents.

- To provide rail connectivity to neighbouring countries, a new line from Agartala to Akura in Bangladesh to be set up.

- Double-decker container trains to be introduced.

- Steps to improve cleanliness and hygiene on trains and stations within six months. A special house- keeping body to be set up to take care of both stations and trains.

- New passenger services include escalators at major stations, alternative train accommodation for wait-listed passengers, laundry services, AC lounges, coin/currency operated ticket vending machines.

- Two new members, one for marketing, and other for safety, to be inducted into Railway Board.

- On board passenger displays indicating next halt station and expected arrival time to be introduced.

- Introduction of regional cuisine; Book-a-meal scheme to provide meals through SMS or email.

- Specially designed coaches for differently-abled persons to be provided in each Mail/Express trains.

- Railway Tariff Regulatory Authority to be considered.

- National High Speed Rail Authority to be set up; Pre-feasibility studies on six high speed corridors completed; study on Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur to be taken up in 2012-13.

- Wellness programme for railway staff at work places.

- Institution of ‘Rail Khel Ratna’ Award for 10 rail sportspersons every year.

- A wagon factory at Sitapali, Odisha, rail coach factory at Palakkad, two additional new coach manufacturing units in Kutch (Gujarat) and Kolar (Karnataka); component factory at Shyamnagar (West Bengal); new coaching terminal at Naihati, the birth place of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

- Freight loading of 1,025 MT targeted; 55 MT more than 2011—12; Passenger growth targeted at 5.4 per cent.

- Passenger earnings to increase to Rs 36,200 crore.

- Gross rail traffic targeted to increase by Rs 28,635 crore to Rs 1,32,552 crore in 2012—13.

The highlights of Railway Budget 2012

- Passenger fares increased marginally. The increase will be by 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class; 3 paise per km for mail/express second class; 5 paise per km for sleeper class; 10 paise per km for AC Chair Car, AC 3 tier and First Class; 15 paise per km for AC 2 tier and 30 paise per km for AC I.

- Minimum fare and platform tickets to cost Rs 5.

- 50 per cent concession in fare in AC-2, AC-3, Chair Car and Sleeper classes to patients suffering from 'Aplastic Anaemia' and 'Sickle Cell Anaemia'.

- Extending the facility of travel by Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains to Arjuna Awardees.

- Travel distance under 'Izzat Scheme' to increase from 100 kms to 150 kms.

- SMS on passenger mobile phone in case of e-ticket to be accepted as proof of valid reservation.

- Introduction of satellite based real time train information system (SIMRAN) to provide train running information to passengers through SMS, internet, etc.

- On board passenger displays indicating next halt station and expected arrival time to be introduced.

- Installation of 321 escalators at important stations of which 50 will be commissioned in 2012-13.

- Introduction of regional cuisine at affordable rates; launching of Book-a-meal scheme to provide multiple choice of meals through SMS or email.

- Introduction of coin/currency operated ticket vending machines.

- Upgradation of 929 stations as Adarsh Stations including 84 stations proposed in 2012-13; 490 stations have been completed so far.

- Specially designed coaches for differently-abled persons to be provided in each Mail/Express trains.

- Introduction of Rail Bandhu on-board magazines on Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and Duronto trains.

- Setting up of AC Executive lounges at important stations 

- 75 new Express trains to be introduced.
In this budget, 74 new express trains, 21 new passenger services, 9 DEMU and 8 MEMU services will be introduced.
List of new trains announced in the Rail Budget 2012-13
Reuters
The list of new trains to run are-

 EXPRESS TRAINS-


1. Kamakhya-Lokmanya Tilak (T) AC Express (Weekly) via Katihar, Mughalsarai, Itarsi
2. Secunderabad-Shalimar AC Express (Weekly) via Vijayawada


3. Bandra (T)- Bhuj AC Express (Tri-Weekly)
4. Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Udhampur AC Express (Tri-Weekly) via Ambala, Jalandhar
5. Coimbatore-Bikaner AC Express (Weekly) via Roha, Vasai Road, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur
6. Kakinada-Secunderabad AC Express (Tri-weekly)
7. Yesvantpur-Kochuveli AC Express (Weekly)
8. Chennai-Bangalore AC Double-decker Express (Daily)
9. Habibganj-Indore AC Double-decker Express (Daily)
10. Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Express (6 days a week) via Malda Town
11. Kamakhya-Tezpur Intercity Express (Daily)
12. Tiruchchirappalli-Tirunelveli Intercity Express (Daily) via Madurai, Virudunagar
13. Jabalpur-Singrauli Intercity Express (Daily) via New Katni Junction
14. Bidar-Secunderabad Intercity Express (6 days a week)
15. Kanpur-Allahabad Intercity Express (Daily)
16. Chhapra-Manduadih Intercity Express (Daily) via Phephna, Rasra, Mau, Aunrihar
17. Ranchi-Dumka Intercity Express (Daily) via Deoghar
18. Barbil-Chakradharpur Intercity Express (Daily) via Dongoaposi, Jhinkpani
19. Secunderabad-Belampalli Intercity Express (Daily) via Kazipet
20. New Jalpaiguri-New Cooch Behar Intercity Express (5 days a week)
21. Ahmedabad-Ajmer Intercity Express (Daily)
22. Dadar (T) - Tirunelveli Express (Weekly) via Roha, Coimbatore, Erode
23. Visakhapatnam-Chennai Express (Weekly)
24. Visakhapatnam-Sai Nagar Shirdi Express (Weekly) via Vijayawada, Manmad
25. Indore-Yesvantpur Express (Weekly) via Itarsi, Narkher, Amravati, Akola, Kacheguda
26. Ajmer-Haridwar Express (Tri-Weekly) via Delhi
27. Amravati-Pune Express (Bi-weekly) via Akola, Purna and Latur
28. Kacheguda-Madurai Express (Weekly) via Dharmavaram, Pakala, Jolarpettai
29. Bikaner-Puri Express (Weekly) via Jaipur, Kota, Katni Murwara, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur
30. Secunderabad-Darbhanga Express (Bi-weekly) via Ballarshah, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Ranchi, Jhajha
31. Bilaspur-Patna Express (Weekly) via Asansol, Jhajha
32. Howrah-Raxual Express (Bi-weekly) via Asansol, Jhajha, Barauni
33. Bhubaneswar-Bhawanipatna Link Express (Daily) via Vizianagaram
34. Puri-Yesvantpur Garib Rath Express (Weekly) via Visakhapatnam, Guntur
35. Sai Nagar Shirdi-Pandharpur Express (Tri-weekly) via Kurduwadi
36. Bhubaneswar-Tirupati Express (Weekly) via Visakhapatnam, Gudur
37. Visakhapatnam-Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express (Weekly) via Titlagarh, Raipur
38. Howrah-Lalkuan Express (Weekly) via Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Lucknow
39. Kolkata-Jaynagar Express (Weekly) via Asansol, Jhajha, Barauni
40. Dibrugarh-Kolkata Express (Weekly)
41. Firozpur-Sriganganagar Express (Daily) via Fazilka, Abohar
42. Jaipur-Secunderabad Express (Weekly) via Nagda, Bhopal, Narkher, Amravati, Akola
43. Okha-Jaipur Express (Weekly) via Palanpur, Ajmer
44. Adilabad-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express (Daily) via Mudkhed
45. Shalimar-Chennai Express (Weekly)
46. Mysore-Sai Nagar Shirdi Express (Weekly) via Bangalore, Dharmavaram, Bellary
47. Valsad-Jodhpur Express (Weekly) via Palanpur, Marwar
48. Porbander-Secunderabad Express (Weekly) via Viramgam, Vasai Road
49. Bandra (T) - Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express (Weekly) via Palanpur, Phulera
50. Hapa-Madgaon Express (Weekly) via Vasai Road, Roha
51. Bikaner-Bandra(T) Express (Weekly) via Jodhpur, Marwar, Ahmedabad
52. Ahmedabad-Gorakhpur Express (Weekly) via Palanpur, Jaipur, Mathura, Farrukhabad, Kanpur
53. Durg-Jagdalpur Express (Tri-Weekly) via Titlagarh
54. Mannargudi-Tirupati Express (Tri-Weekly) via Thiruvarur, Villupuram, Katpadi
55. Gandhidham-Bandra (T) Express (Weekly) via Morbi
56. Kota-Hanumangarh Express (Daily) via Jaipur, Degana, Bikaner
57. Jhansi-Mumbai Express (Weekly) via Gwalior, Maksi, Nagda
58. Secunderabad-Nagpur Express (Triweekly) via Kazipet
59. Kanpur-Amritsar Express (Weekly) via Farrukhabad, Bareilly
60. Chappra-Lucknow Express (Tri-Weekly) via Masrakh, Thawe, Padrauna
61. Karimnagar-Tirupati Express (Weekly) via Pedapalli
62. Anandvihar-Haldia Express (Weekly) via Mughalsarai, Gomoh, Purulia
63. Barrackpore-Azamgarh Express (Weekly) via Jhajha, Ballia, Mau
64. Indore-Rewa Express (Tri-weekly) via Bina
65. Running of independent train between Jabalpur-Hazrat Nizamuddin by delinking from 12405/12406 Bhusawal-Hazrat Nizamuddin and 12409/12410 Raigarh-Nizamuddin Gondwana Express
66. Darbhanga-Ajmer Express (Weekly) via Raxaul, Sitapur, Bareilly, Kasganj, Mathura
67. Solapur-Yesvantpur Express (Tri-weekly) via Gulbarga
68. Chennai-Puri Express (Weekly)
69. Hyderabad-Ajmer Express (Weekly) via Manmad, Itarsi, Ratlam
70. Asansol-Chennai Express (Weekly) via Purulia, Sambalpur, Vizianagaram
71. Shalimar-Bhuj Express (Weekly) via Bilaspur, Katni, Bhopal
72. Amritsar-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express (Weekly)
73. Santragachi-Ajmer Express (Weekly) via Kharagpur, Chandil, Barkakana, Katni, Kota
74. Malda Town-Surat Express (Weekly) via Rampur Hat, Asansol, Nagpur
75. Dwarka-Somnath Express (Daily)
- 21 new passenger services, 9 DEMU services and 8 MEMU services to be introduced.
PASSENGER TRAINS-
1. Koderma-Nawadih Passenger (6 Days)
2. Sriganganagar-Suratgarh Passenger (Daily)
3. Yerraguntla-Nosam/Nanganapalli Passenger (Daily)
4. Villupuram-Katpadi Passenger (Daily)
5. Gunupur-Palasa (via Parlakhemundi) Passenger (Daily)
6. Ajmer-Pushkar Passenger (5 Days)
7. Kota-Jhalawar City Passenger (Daily)
8. Bareilly-Kasganj Passenger (Daily)
9. Anandnagar-Barahani Passenger (Daily)
10. Rangiya-Tezpur Passenger (Daily)
11. Mysore-Shravan belgola (Daily)
12. Jodhpur-Bilara Passenger (Daily)
13. Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai Passenger (Daily)
14. Rohtak-Panipat Passenger (Daily)
15. Miraj-Kurudwadi Passenger (Daily)
16. Phulera-Rewari Passenger (Daily)
17. Mysore-Chamarajanagar Passenger (Daily)
18. Gorakhpur-Siwan Passenger (Daily)
19. Running of independent Passenger trains between Rewa-Bilaspur and Rewa-Chirmiri by delinking from 51751/51752 Rewa-Bilaspur Passenger and 51753/51754 Rewa-Chirmir Passenger
20. Mysore-Birur Passenger via Arsikere (Daily)
21. Jhansi-Tikamgarh Passenger via Lalitpur
MEMU
1. Dahod-Anand
2. Anand-Gandhinagar
3. Bina-Bhopal MEMU service in lieu of conventional services
4. Palakkad-Coimbatore-Erode
5. Ernakulam-Thrisur
6. Adra-Asansol
7. Adra-Bishnupur via Bankura
8. Sealdah-Lalgola
DEMU
1. Baripada-Bangriposi(Daily)
2. Masagram-Matnashibpur (Daily)
3. Mannargudi-Trichy-Manamadurai (Daily)
4. Hoshiarpur-Firozpur (Daily)
5. Siliguri-Changrabandha (Daily)
6. Pratapnagar-Chota Udepur (Daily)
7. New Jalpaiguri-Bamanhat DEMU service in lieu of conventional services

- Run of 39 trains to be extended.

- Frequency of 23 trains to be increased.

- 75 additional services to run in Mumbai suburban; 44 new suburban services to be introduced in Kolkata area, 50 new services to be introduced in Kolkata Metro; 18 additional services in Chennai area.

- 725 km new lines, 700 km doubling, 800 km gauge conversion and 1,100 km electrification targeted in 2012-13.

- Rs 6,872 cr provided for new lines, Rs 3,393 cr for doubling, Rs 1,950 cr for gauge conversation, Rs 828 cr for electrification

- Highest ever plan outlay of Rs 60,100 cr

- Rae Bareli coach factory manufactured 10 coaches in 2011-12; phase-II of the factory would be commissioned in 2012-13.

- A wagon factory to be set up at Sitapali (Ganjam District of Odisha)

- A rail coach factory with the support of Government of Kerala to be set up at Palakkad; two additional new manufacturing units for coaches to be established in the Kutch area in Gujarat and at Kolar in Karnataka with active participation of the State Governments.

- Setting up of a factory at Shyamnagar in West Bengal to manufacture next generation technology propulsion system for use in high power electric locomotives.

- Creating Missions as recommended by Pitroda Committee to implement the modernization programme.

- Setting up of Railway Tariff Regulatory Authority to be considered.

- New Board Members for Safety/Research and PPP/Marketing to be inducted.

- Rail-Road Grade Separation Corporation to be set up to eliminate level crossings.

- Indian Railway Station Development Corporation to be set up to redevelop stations through PPP mode.

- Logistics Corporation to be set up for development and management of existing railway goods sheds and multi-modal logistics parks.

- National High Speed Rail Authority to be set-up.

- Pre-feasibility studies on six high speed corridors already completed; study on Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur to be taken up in 2012-13.

- Introduction of a ‘Green Train’ to run through the pristine forests of North Bengal.

- Setting up of 200 remote railway stations as ‘green energy stations’ powered entirely by solar energy.

- Providing solar lighting system at 1,000 manned level crossing gates.

- 2,500 coaches to be equipped with bio toilets.

- Setting up of 72 MW capacity windmill plants in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

- Installation of Integrated Security System at all 202 identified stations to be completed in 2012-13.

- Escorting of trains by RPF/GRP extended to 3,500 trains.

- Integration of RPF helpline with the All India Passenger Helpline.

- Setting up of a Railway Safety Authority as a statutory regulatory body as recommended by Kakodkar Committee

- Three 'Safety Villages' to be set up at Bengaluru, Kharagpur and Lucknow for skill development for disaster management.

- Over one lakh persons to be recruited in 2012-13 " backlog of SC/ST/OBC and other categories to be wiped off.

- Introduction of a wellness programme for railway staff at their work places.

- Ensuring proper rest for skilled and technical staff including the running crew.

- Institution of 'Rail Khel Ratna' Award for 10 rail sports-persons every year.

- New coaching terminal at Naihati, the birth place of Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay commemorating him on 175th Birth Anniversary.

- Project to connect Agartala with Akhaura in Bangladesh to be taken up in 2012-13.

- Freight loading of 1,025 MT targeted; 55 MT more than 2011-12

- Passenger growth targeted at 5.4 per cent.

Note- For the review on this budget wait till 21^st March.