Highlights of Railway Budget 2013-14

    Budget Highlights

·                No hike in passenger fares.

·                Supplementary charges for super fast trains, reservation fee, clerkage charge, cancellation charge and Tatkal charge marginally increased

·                New trains / extension and frequency increase

·                67 new Express trains to be introduced. 26 new passenger services, 8 DEMU services and 5 MEMU services to be introduced.  Run of 57 trains to be extended. Frequency of 24 trains to be increased

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·                New ‘Azadi Express’ to connect places associated with freedom movement

·                Mumbai Suburban Service

·                AC EMU rake to be introduced  on Mumbai suburban network in 2013-14.

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·                72 additional services to be introduced in Mumbai and 18 in Kolkata

·                Indian Railway in the billion club

·                Freight loading of 1047 MT, 40 MT more than 2012-13. Railways set to enter 1 billion ton freight club of China, Russia and US

·                Outlay

·                Highest ever plan outlay of Rs. 63,363 crore.

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·                Gross Traffic Receipts – Rs. 1,43,742 crore i.e. an increase of 18,062 crore over RE, 2012-13

·                Freight earning to grow by 9 per cent to Rs 93,554 crore.

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·                Dividend payment estimated at Rs. 6,249 crore

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·                12th Plan railway size to be Rs 5.19 lakh crore, with gross budgetary support of Rs 1.94 lakh crore.

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·                Rs 1 lakh crore to be raised from public-private partnership, Rs 1.05 lakh crore through internal resources in the 12th Plan

·                Railway services

·                Passenger growth 5.2% in 2013-14

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·                Operating Ratio to be 87.8% in 2013-14

·                Ticketing

·                Increased duration for internet ticketing from 0030 hours to 2330 hours

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·                E-ticketing through mobile phones to be introduced.

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·                Next –Gen e-ticketing system to be rolled out : capable of handling 7200 tickets per minute against 2000 now

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·                SMS alerts to passengers providing updates on reservation status

·                Railways to use Aadhar data base for bookings and validation of passengers

·                Provision of announcement facility and electronic display boards in trains.

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·                Free Wi-Fi facilities on select trains.

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·                Pilot project on select trains to facilitate passengers to contact on board staff through SMS/phone call/e-mail for coach cleanliness and real time feedback.

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·                Introduction of an ‘Anubhuti’ coach in select trains to provide excellent ambience and latest facilities and services

·                179 escalators and 400 lifts at A-1 and other major stations to be installed facilitating elderly and disabled.

   Provision of wheel chairs and battery operated vehicles at more stations and making coaches

   wheel-chair friendly

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·                Braille stickers with layout of coaches including toilets to be affixed.

·                Introduction of executive lounge at 7 more stations: Bangalore, Nagpur, Jaipur, Patna, Agra, Visakhapatnam and Bilaspur.

·                Upgrading 60 stations as Adarsh Stations in addition to 980 already selected

·                Centralized Catering Services Monitoring Cell set up with a toll free number (1800 111 321)

·                Setting up of six more Rail Neer bottling plants at Vijayawada, Nagpur, Lalitpur, Bilaspur, Jaipur and Ahmedabad

·                Railway Safety

·                Provision of portable fire extinguishers in Guard-cum-Brake Vans, AC Coaches and Pantry Cars in all trains

·                Railway Security

·                10% Railway Protection Force vacancies being reserved for women

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·                Four companies of women RPF personnel set up and another 8 to be set up to strengthen the security of rain passengers, especially women passengers

·                Newlines / doubling / gauge conversion/ electrification

·                500 km new lines, 750 km doubling, 450 km gauge conversion targeted in 2013-14

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·                Electrification of 1,200 km to be completed this year

·                Railway facilities

·                New coach manufacturing and maintenance facilities to be set up in various places including Rae Bareli, Bhilwara, Sonepat, Kalahandi, Kolar, Palakkad and Pratapgarh.

·                Railway safety

·                10797 Level Crossings (LC) to be eliminated during the 12^th Plan

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·                New Self Propelled Accident Relief Trains capable of travelling at 160 kmph to be introduced.

·                Plan for elephant corridor safety to prevent killing of elephants.

·                HRD

·                Setting up of a centralized training institute at Secunderabad–Indian Railways Institute of Financial Management

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·                Setting up of a multi-disciplinary training institute at Nagpur for training in rail related electronics technologies

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·                Five fellowships in national universities to be instituted to motivate students to study and undertake research on Railway related issues at M.Phil and Ph.D. levels

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·                Railways to impart skills to the youth in railway related trades in 25 locations

·                Welfare measures

·                1.52 lakh vacancies being filled up this year out of which 47000 vacancies have been earmarked for weaker sections and physically challenged.

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·                Fund allocation for staff quarters enhanced to Rs. 300 crore

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·                Provision of hostel facilities for single women railway employees at all divisional headquarters

·                Provision of water closets and air conditioners in the locomotive cabs for drivers.

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·                Complimentary card passes to recipients of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna & Dhyan Chand Awards to be valid for travel by 1^st Class/2^nd AC

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·                Complimentary card passes to Olympic Medalists and Dronacharya Awardees for travel in Rajdhani/Shatabadi Trains

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·                Passes for freedom fighters to be renewed once in three years instead of every year.

Mumbai – Hazrat Nizamuddin AC Express (Weekly) via Bhopal

Mumbai – Solapur Express (6 Days a week) Via Pune

Mumbai – Hubli Express (Weekly) Via Miraj, Pune

Mumbai – Kakinada Express (Bi-weekly)

Bandra Terminus – Jaisalmer Express (Weekly) Via Marwar, Jodhpur

Bandra Terminus – Hisar Express (Weekly) Via Ahmedabad, Palanpur

Bandra Terminus – Haridwar Express (Weekly) Via Valsad

Bandra Terminus – Ramnagar Express (Weekly) Via Nagda, Mathura,

Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, (Kurla) – Ajni (Nagpur) Express (Weekly) Via Hingoli

Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, (Kurla) – Kochuveli Express (Weekly)

Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, (Kurla)  -Nizamabad Express (Weekly)

Sai Nagar (Shirdi) – Kalka Express (Bi-weekly) Via Hazrat Nizamuddin

Sai Nagar (Shirdi) – Puri Express (Weekly) Via Sambalpur, Nagpur

Bikaner – Chennai AC Express (Weekly) Via Jaipur, Nagpur,

Jabalpur – Yesvantpur Express (Weekly)Via Nagpur

Gandhidham – Visakhapatnam Express (Weekly) Via Ahmedabad, Wardha