Some highlights of Railway Budget 2015-16

26 Feb 2015

1

Some highlights:

  • No increase in passenger fares
  • Passengers without reservations can book iickets in five minutes
  • Passengers to be able to book food options from IRCTC website
  • Multi-lingual e-ticketing system 
  • Issue of unreserved tickets on smartphones via apps
  • Dial 138 for national helpline for railway-related issues
  • Dial 182 toll-free number for security-related calls 
  • Thrust on cleanliness in
  • Toilet facilities at our stations need improvement 
  • Toilets in 650 stations; replace 17000 toilets
  • Develop satellite railway stations in big cities.
  • Surveillance cameras to for women's security
  • Senior citizens will be able to book wheelchairs online
  • To have wi-fi in all category A & B stations
  • Phone charging facilities will be provided in trains
  • Propose SMS alert services for train arrival, departure times
  • Passengers will be able to book food options from IRCTC website

Important financials:

  • Rs 8.5 lk cr investment over 5 years
  • Operating ratio for FY16 seen at 88.5%
  • Increase of track capacity by 14% to 138,000 km
  • 11 areas of thrust for railways 

Infratructure improvement:

  • Vision document 2030 to be released
  • 750km of civil contracts and 1,300 km system contracts will be awarded on DFC in FY16. review of private freight terminal (PFT) schemes underway
  • Pvt participation to develop feeded route for dedicated freight corridor (DFC)
  • Meghalaya and Barak Valley to get Rail connectivity
  • To spend Rs 96,182 crore on capacity expansion in FY16
  • To partner with private sector to improve rolling stock flee
  • Plan to increase annual passenger capacity to 30 million from 21 million.
  • Increase annual freight capacity to 1.5 billion from 1 billion.
  • Trains to become more punctual in next 5 years. Focus on improving speed of railways.
  • Major thrust will be on gauge conversion & electrification
  • Will increase investments in railways to create more jobs.
  • Priority to improve capacity on high density networks.
  • Vicious cycle of under-investment must be put to end. Railways face chronic under-investment in infrastructure.
  • Rail facilities not improved much over last two decades.
  • Invstment in railways to have a multiplier effect on economy
  • Railways will play major role in development of country

The minister said:

  • "Take up one idea, make that idea of life-think of it,dream of it,live on that idea" With these words
  • Skill development and self employment to be encouraged on Konkan Railway model
  • A mechanism for making regulations, setting performance standards and tariffs to be setup
  • Investment in Indian Railways is an investment in our future, sustainability and posterity
  • 100 DEMUs to be converted to dual fuels
  • 1000MV Solar plants to be set-up by developers on Railway Pvt. Land and on Rly Building at own cost
  • Full fledged university during 2015-15
  • Rs.2000 cr for coastal connectivity program; Rs.2500 cr through BOT/Annuity route. 1000 MWSolar plant; 100DEMUs to dual fuel
  • Plan size increased by 52%; 41.6% GBS; 17.8% internal generation
  • Process & procedures simplified to prevent delays; internal audit of railway systems
  • Decentralise, deregulate and delegate to make freight business simpler
  • JV with major public sector companies for meeting requirements of new lines
  • Framework to facilitate pvt investment has been readied; MUTP-III, JV with states,PSUs

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