Some highlights of Railway Budget 2015-16

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