Railway Budget highlights

Railway Budget highlights :

• Railway profit in 2007-08 at Rs 25,000 crore.
• Doubling of lines to be given priority.
• Railways planning smart card-based ticketing system.
• CCTvs at all important stations
• Modular toilets to be introduced in trains.
• 'Go Mumbai' card to be sold at bus depots.
• Freight loading estimated to increase from 650 mt to 1100 mt by 2011
• New policy for wagon leasing.
• New line for Ennore Power Station.
• By 2010, all coaches will be made of steel.
• Professional agencies being involved on a pilot basis to ensure cleanliness in running trains.
• Work on automatic signalling to start in new sections.
• Railways to bring in led displays in stations on train arrivals/ departures.
• Stainless steel coaches for mail and express trains.
• Cleanliness drive on rajdhani and shatabdi trains.
• Railways show a surplus of Rs 68,778 cr in last four years.
• Railways to provide escalators at 50 per cent of the stations in the country.
• Railway Minister Lalu Yadav announced that Indian Railways will introduce 15,000 ticketing counters in the next 2 years. The Railways plans to offer tickets through mobile phones.
• By 2009 call centre based inquiry services to be unveiled.
• Issuance of wait-listed e-tickets will also allowed
• Operating ratio of the Railways was at 76%.
• Rs 49,250 crore invested into new railway projects.
• Railway plan size increased from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore in the last four years.
• Productivity of Railway assets has been constantly increasing.
• Railways attained 790 tonne payload target in the year 2007-08.
• E-ticket booking is likely to rise to 300,000 from 100,000 in a year.
• Freight traffic target of 785 million tonnes crossed to touch 790 million tones
• Railway plan size increased from Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore in the last four years.
• 560 railway station platforms to be lengthened to take long trains.
• Middle-level and low-level platforms to be upgraded to high-level platforms in several stations to help commuters.
• More facilities for women and old passengers.

source : www.IndiaDemocracy.org